


Whisker Me Away

by attfna



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cats, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, Post-Canon, aaron has chaotic twin toddlers, andrew eats a lot of pastries and neil knows nothing about cats, grandpa wymack, neil still has a great ass even though he's not 20 anymore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24322954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/attfna/pseuds/attfna
Summary: Former Fox and pro-exy goalkeeper Andrew Minyard owns a cat rescue. Neil Josten, former Raven and current pro-exy striker, needs a cat to calm his fiery temper or else face anger-management therapy to keep his contract. Neil's never wanted anything other than exy, Andrew's never wanted anything other than to be left alone. But sometimes not getting what you want can be an....interesting surprise.~*~All credit to Nora, I own nothing.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 75
Kudos: 447





	1. A Fur-miliar Face

**Author's Note:**

> Most of the backstory will be revealed as it progresses but a few quick notes:   
> Basically everything happened the same for Andrew, only Neil didn't go to PSU. His fathers men caught up to he and Mary when he was 13. She was killed, he was sold to the Moriyamas. He still has his scars but not on his face since he had a perfect court tattoo. This takes place around a decade after Neil graduates college.
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Chapter Rating: T (Language, vague mention of animal abuse)
> 
> (The story rating might go up depending on how detailed I want to write stuff so keep a look out - but I always post chapter ratings just in case)

Wednesday, November 4 th 2020

Thirty-five rotations around the sun was too many years to be grounded on a celestial ball of floating chaos, but it wasn’t as though one had a choice in the matter. Andrew didn’t even have the choice in how he would spend the day since two of his employees were out with the flu, leaving no one to cover the front desk of Whisker Me Away. Thankfully it was a Wednesday, which meant it would likely be slow. He still longed for the solitude of his office, tragically empty since he was perched at the counter on an uncomfortable rolling chair, so high his feet dangled off the floor unable to reach even the stability ring around the chairs post.  
  
Andrew hated people - which was primarily his motivation for investing some of his millions into a cat rescue. He could save animals and hire enough employees to avoid his customers as much as possible. Since he’d invested in the veterinary clinic next door, bringing his twin aboard, and later his cousin to handle marketing and social media, his people-avoiding habits weren’t as successful as they once were. But it still beat working for someone else. Or standing in a goal-box on an exy court being berated by coaches and his dimwitted teammates. His old college roommate, the famous Kevin Day, had once told him he would learn to love the game. Andrew knew he was wrong but had indulged him for a couple years after graduating, having nothing better to do. But the truth was, Andrew had never learned to love anything. Protecting things that belonged to him, people that belonged to him, was the closest he’d ever gotten to a concept as abstract as ‘love’. 

A small little huff escaped his lips as Andrew turned the page of the novel splayed on the counter in front of him. Some crime thriller that was far too full of itself to  actually be entertaining. He was barely comprehending the words, eyes flitting up every few minutes to looked over at the glass enclosures across the foyer. There were two of the larger rooms and both held more than a dozen cats. The walls were decorated with colorful ramps, posts, and other fixtures for the animals to climb across and several custom cat towers stood in each corner. Andrew had built them himself – it was his favorite part of the job. He much preferred taking care of the animals or locking himself away to do paperwork than being the un-smiling face at the front desk. The colorful shop, compliments of his cousins input, clashed horribly with his less than cheery aesthetic. But it did make them the top cat-adoption agency in the state. 

The first few hours after opening passed uneventfully. Aaron dropped off a cup of coffee when he arrived – the clinic was only open from noon to five on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Normally Andrew would spend the morning watching his twin nephews but due to the short staffing and the ‘special day’, his sister-in-law had dropped them with her parents for the night so she and Aaron could go out to dinner after work. As always, she invited him, and as always, he declined. For many years he hated Katelyn – hated any woman his brother hooked up with. He didn’t trust them with his blood and didn’t want to have to pick up the pieces again after another woman hurt him. But Katelyn had stuck around despite Andrew’s efforts to push her away, despite the rift it caused between the twins, the years they had gone locked in a cold war. Eventually, Andrew accepted that she was  actually good for Aaron, though he’d never admit it out loud. And now he was even fond of the mischievous toddlers that had invaded his quiet life – carbon copies of he and Aaron with blond hair and matching scowls whenever the word ‘no’ was thrown around. He’d long since let go of his hatred of their mother. He didn’t like her, then again, he didn’t  _ like _ anyone. But his aversion to socializing with them was simply because had no interest in being a third wheel in his  brother's nuclear family. As such, he usually excused himself from holiday and birthday gatherings when his presence as the ‘dutiful uncle’ wasn’t required. 

At one o’clock a package arrived. It wasn’t wrapped and arrived by means of a delivery man from the bakery a few miles away rather than by the postal service. Andrew signed for it and shoved aside the identical box with his  brother's name. Inside was a small cake with blue and green marbled icing covered by a clear, plastic tub and a card tucked next to it. Andrew pulled the card out and opened it. Okay, so maybe he liked one or two people – Renee being on that very short list. She was one of the few people he intentionally kept in contact with after graduating from Palmetto State. Even though Renee hadn’t visited in over a year, having moved to Virginia to open her own law firm, they still kept in regular contact. 

The message was short, amounting to little more than a ‘happy birthday’ wish and Andrew tucked the card back in the box. He carried the cakes to his office and deposited them on the desk, looking forward to going home that night and eating the entire thing in one sitting since there would be no one there to bitch at him for it. Well, the cats would probably beg but their complaints were easily tuned out.

As Andrew settled back in at the counter, propping up his elbows, the bell over the door tinkled quietly. He glanced up to see a customer headed his way and went back to his book with a sigh. Maybe if he ignored  him he would go away until Nicky returned. 

“You’re Andrew Minyard,” said a surprised sounding voice. 

“I am aware,” Andrew muttered, not looking up.

“You played two seasons for the New York Titans.”

He resisted rolling his eyes. This happened sometimes – a customer recognizing him from his pro-exy days and wanting to wax poetic about his stats. “I don’t do autographs.”

“I don’t want.....you don’t recognize me, do you?”

Andrew looked up, face still a blank mask of indifference despite the jolt of recognition in his gut. Of course, he recognized the man. Andrew never forgot a face. 

“Should I?” he said, instigating even though it would probably be easier to admit the truth.

Neil narrowed his eyes a fraction, as if trying to ascertain  whether  the blond was being intentionally aloof. “Never mind. I need a cat.”

With a careful flick of his wrist, Andrew turned the book face-down on the counter and threaded his fingers together, propping his chin on top. “You  _ need _ a cat.”

Impatience rolled off Neil in waves, like ripples reaching the shore only to be broken by stubborn sand. “That’s what I just said. Are you going to help me or not?”

Before Andrew could answer, Nicky breezed in, looking windswept and carrying two identical blue gift bags. “Happy day of birth to my favorite cousins!”

The taller man squeezed behind the counter and set the bags down against the glass wall behind it that partitioned off the two small offices. He turned immediately, clearly intent on antagonizing Andrew more but the customer at the counter caught his attention. Nicky snatched the sunglasses from his face and clipped them on the collar of his button up. 

“Oh my god.....is that...aren’t you Nathaniel? Wesninski right...you played for the Ravens when we were in college!” said Nicky, voice filled with excitement, as though proud he’d remembered such a thing. 

“It’s Neil, now,” he said through grinding teeth, trying to keep his temper in check. 

No one had called him that name since Neil was a child. After the debacle of his  fathers death and his  true identity being revealed at the end of his freshman year playing the with Ravens, the media loved to use it. But it had been years since even they uttered his birth name.

“Right of course....I’m Nicky...”

“Hemmick. Number 8. PSU.”

Nicky practically swooned. “Oh my GOD I can’t believe you remember that! It was like...eons ago.”

“ _ Neil _ .....needs a cat,” Andrew interrupted, eyes still locked on the newcomer.

“Of course!” said Nicky, unphased by his apparent misstep. “I’ll show you around.”

Good. Now Nicky would leave him alone and the interloper who had interrupted him from an uninteresting chapter in his book, would also go away. Two birds and all that. 

Neil reluctantly trailed Nicky across the foyer to the large glass enclosures where they housed the rescues. Andrew followed them with his eyes, watching the stiff set of Neil’s shoulders and the way his hands stayed firmly planted in the pockets of his jeans. He clearly didn’t want to be here and that made Andrew suspicious. The tinkling of another bell drew his attention after Neil and Nicky entered the first enclosure. Tan slinked across the counter and headbutted Andrew in the chin once before flopping over,  head-first , on top of his novel. Finally looking away, he glanced down at the feline in front of him, glaring up at him with one green eye and one blue. Andrew ran a hand along pristine white fur and wiggled the book out from under the fluff. He was determined not to let his attention be drawn back to the suspicious  red head who had once been the face behind closed lids when Andrew jacked off in the shower of his dorm room. 

The fact that those memories reared their ugly heads _ at all _ infuriated Andrew. Neil had played for the Ravens in college. He had been part of the run-down Kevin had given them when he transferred to PSU. But other than describing a snarky, yet mostly quiet  backliner that was partnered with Jean, he had nothing to say on the subject of Neil Josten. Once the Ravens transferred south, Andrew had faced him a few times on court but  backliners and goalkeepers didn’t really have much interaction. So, Neil had been nothing more than a footnote – an attractive piece of ass (and thighs) running across the field in  exy armor, and a stoic Raven clone in a black suit, seated at the end of a banquet table. 

He’d become slightly more interesting that spring, when Andrew had returned to school sober. Towards the end of his sophomore year Andrew remembered the news stories – The butcher of Baltimore had been killed in a hit and his long-lost son, Nathaniel, had been hiding in plain sight at Evermore. He'd berated Kevin for not being upfront about Neil's past, though Kevin's response that it had been irrelevant was true, until that point at least. Things spiraled after that. The Foxes beat the Ravens in the finals that year and Riko had ‘killed himself’ after the loss- though Kevin always insisted that it hadn’t been suicide. The next year the Ravens moved back to the North Eastern district and Moreau and Josten were together again, but both graced the court without their tattooed cheeks, having had them removed. The Foxes only played the Ravens twice after that – neither having made the semis or finals in the same year or bracket. After graduation Andrew went pro for two years. His team only played Neil’s twice before he quit but they’d never played during the same half. The last thing he remembered seeing about Neil was that the year he made Court for the first time, he’d switched to being a striker. It was an unprecedented change in Exy history and made ripples throughout the sports world. Andrew could have cared less. Since then the only time the name ‘Neil Josten’ was brought up was when Kevin would complain about him. His last complaints consisted of bitching about Neil’s inability to play well with others, which didn’t make much sense since Kevin had been instrumental in getting Neil traded to the team he now coached. But then, Kevin never really did make a lot of sense. 

When he looked up again he could see Nicky crouching down, talking animatedly to Neil who was still standing, hands in his pockets. When an orange tabby wandered over to rub against his leg Neil reflexively nudged it away with his shoe. Andrew narrowed his eyes again. 

Twenty minutes later, Nicky returned with Neil, having walked him through both rooms. Andrew paused with a hand in Tan’s fluff to look up, setting the novel to the side for a second time. He quirked a brow at the pair of them. 

Nicky shook his head with a shrug of his shoulders, “No luck I’m afraid. Nothing really stood out.”

“What about that one?” asked Neil, pointing to Tan. 

“Oh no...Tan?” said Nicky, frowning. “You don’t want him. He’s a demon.”

Unconvinced, Neil pulled a hand from his pocket. His movement was slow, there was plenty of time for Andrew to stop him but instead he just removed his own hand, providing a smooth plane of inviting fluff. Nicky seemed to realize what was going on at the last minute and tried to avert the impending disaster. 

“Neil no...”

Tan growled low and swiped so quickly he was on the floor, slinking away before Neil even had time to hiss and recoil, snatching away his hand which now had a long scratch that was beading red. 

Andrew sighed. “Nicky...go get Aaron.”

“Yea...I’ll be right back...” he said, giving Neil an apologetic look before going through the side door that connected to the veterinary clinic. 

“You knew that would happen,” Neil said, tone accusatory as he covered his hand with the other, trying to keep the blood from dripping on the counter. 

“I wonder...what kind of man intentionally tries to pet an animal after someone calls it a demon?”

Neil bristled, going on the defensive. “I thought it was a joke” 

“I guess the joke was on you,” said Andrew dryly.    
  
"He let you touch him. If you're the only one why don't you take him?"  
  
"He does not tolerate anyone other than me, including other cats."

They stared at each other for a solid twenty seconds until Andrew reached, still holding his gaze, and slid a box of tissues from the other end of the counter. Neil blinked angrily and let go of his hand long enough to snag several from the box and balled them up, sopping up the blood and holding them to the wound. 

“You sent Nicky to get Aaron. Your brother? Is this like...a family business?” asked Neil. 

“It’s my business. Some of the employees just happen to share my blood,” he said evasively. 

“Right. So, you know quitting exy after two seasons was the dumbest thing you’ve ever done,” Neil said, without any segue into the new topic.

Eye twitching, Andrew looked away, picking his book up and holding it so it obscured the bottom portion of his face. “As the leading authority on myself, I can assure you that it was, in fact, not the dumbest thing I have ever done.”

“You could have been court!” Neil said, undeterred. “I know they scouted you for Rio...”

“Sorry...Andrew’s not home right now, please leave a message after the...” He held up his middle finger. 

Neil huffed. “Kevin always said you were an asshole but considering the bar for Kevin is pretty low I didn’t bother believing him.”

“Is the bar low because Kevin is an asshole himself or because he has known you for the better part of twenty years?”

Neil opened his mouth to argue but the side door opened and Aaron Minyard stepped through. He was wearing a white coat and mild scowl, holding a small red box in his hand. 

“Nicky?” questioned Andrew.

“Left him to help Kate,” he said. “Hand?”

Neil held out his hand and after snapping a pair of white gloves in place, Aaron snatched it mid-air. He peeled away the sopping tissue and prodded at the scratch, which was still bleeding.

“He tried to pet Satan?” asked Aaron. 

“The cat’s name is Satan?” Neil asked  derisively . 

“Yes,” said Andrew. 

“Well maybe you could have fucking led with that?” sniped Neil. 

Andrew shrugged. Aaron prodded at the scratch with gauze until the bleeding slowed and then wiped over it with an alcohol pad. Neil resisted the urge to hiss at the sting and just managed to keep from flinching. Aaron tugged his hand closer and leaned down, squinting through the thin frames of his glasses. 

“At least it won’t need stitches like the last guy.”

Neil’s head snapped back to glare at Andrew again who had resumed reading and pretending he wasn’t paying attention. 

“How has no one sued you?” asked Neil. 

“They have,” snorted Aaron. 

“Twice,” added Andrew. 

“We have a good lawyer,” offered Aaron, pulling out a tube of something from the box. 

The bespectacled Minyard smeared some sort of ointment over the scratch and then bandaged his hand lightly. Normally Neil would have just run it under some cold water until it stopped bleeding and called it a day – but he was already dreading facing Kevin at tomorrows practice with a hand injury. Hopefully it would be patched up enough not to impede his ability to swing a racquet.

Aaron tossed a small, unopened packet of the same ointment onto the counter. 

“Keep it dry and use the ointment a couple times a day so it doesn’t get infected. And don’t pet the demon cat.”

“Fine,” sighed Neil. 

Aaron disappeared back to the clinic without another word or any acknowledgement that he knew who Neil was and Neil was left cradling his hand, staring at Andrew. He pocketed the ointment and tapped the fingers of his undamaged hand on the counter. Andrew dropped his book a fraction to peer over it. 

“I still need a cat,” said Neil. 

“I thought none of them suited you?” asked Andrew. 

Neil shrugged and glanced behind him at the glass where he could see cats of all shapes and sizes milling around the playroom. 

“I’ve never really been around them before. I don’t know what I’m looking for.”

Andrew slammed the book closed and leveled Neil with a stare. “Then why are you here?”

“It’s not like I want to be.”

“Then leave.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

* * *

Monday, November 9th

Four days had passed since Neil Josten had graced Whisker Me Away with his presence and Andrew had no reason to think he would see the man again. That thought was effectively stifled upon hearing the haughty tone of Kevin Day fill the lobby, sounding out of breath.

“Neil! I thought we were meeting here...you were supposed to wait...”

“We did meet here Kevin. And I don’t need a fucking babysitter.”

“Apparently you do, considering you had one job last week, and that was to get a pet. Instead you got mauled.”

“Good pep talk, you can leave now.”

“Whatever. I need to talk to Andrew.”

Andrew was leaning back in his chair, ear craned towards the crack in his door. He couldn’t see them through the heavily frosted  glass but he could hear them clearly enough. A moment later he heard the quieter, more volume-controlled voice of his employee working the front desk. 

“Oh...um...Mr. Minyard asked not to be disturbed unless it’s something important. Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked politely. 

“I know he’s here. Just send him....Andrew! I know you are there.”

Andrew dropped his head back on his shoulders so dramatically he nearly tipped his chair over. After waiting a full two minutes, he stood, brushed off the variety of cat hair from his dark clothing, and wandered out to the front desk where the receptionist was still arguing with his old teammate. 

“It’s fine, Cassie,” he said to the girl, flicking his wrist to send her away. “It’s almost four. You can go. I will clock you out.”

The girl nodded with a final polite smile towards the grouchy customers and snatched her purse from under the counter before leaving. 

“Mind telling me why you are terrorizing college kids?” asked Andrew, leaning on the counter slightly. 

Neil, who hadn’t said a word since Andrew appeared, stood like a twin pillar of annoyance – though Andrew couldn’t figure out what he was more annoyed at – Kevin, or having to be here at all. 

“Maybe if you would answer your phone I would not have to show up in person.”

“Maybe I didn’t answer because I don’t want to talk to you,” Andrew said cooly. 

“I don’t care. I am here as a customer and also,” said Kevin, propping a forearm on the counter so he towered over Andrew, “don’t forget who the primary donor is for this organization.”

“The Houston Sirens,” answered Andrew, lip twitching in challenge. “Last I heard you were coaching for the Chimeras.”

Kevin blinked down at him several times, jaw clenching, holding in a retort that obviously wasn’t good enough to counter Andrew’s facts. 

“Fine. Help me out and maybe I’ll talk to the Chimeras and see if they’re interested in becoming a donor as well.”

That peaked Andrew’s interest. The organization wasn’t doing badly. After two years of professional exy, and easily being the best goalkeeper in the league, he’d made quite a bit of money. It was the only reason he had agreed to go pro in the first place. When he left it was with 4.3 million dollars. He invested half and spent the rest starting the rescue and later the clinic. Aaron had decided to go to veterinary school instead of finishing regular medical school since he undoubtedly learned, what Andrew had always known, that people were trash. But....more donors meant more money and more money meant he could offer a salary that would comfortably hire a weekend person who was competent instead of the lazy college kids he normally employed. 

“Let me guess. You need a cat too. Thea finally throw you out? You need a friend that is able to tolerate you for more than five minutes? I cannot guarantee I have what you’re looking for.”

“Not for me, asshole. For Neil.”

Neil bristled at his name and glared at them from his periphery, half turned towards the cat enclosures. 

“Why does he need a cat?”

“Hi...yea, I’m right fucking here...” said Neil, turning to face Andrew. 

Kevin ignored his player. “It is either anger management or an ESA. Just give him something with fur he can hang out with and we’ll call it a day. It is not rocket science.”

“First of all....fuck you,” said Neil, slapping Kevin on the back of his head hard enough that Andrew smirked. “I didn’t give you permission to share my personal information. Second, fuck you again, and also leave. I’ll find something but not with you breathing down my neck.”

“You think I trust you to do this on your own?” asked Kevin, glaring down and pointing in Neil’s face. 

“You think I asked you?”

Andrew cleared his throat. “Kevin. A cat is not a house plant. You cannot just sit it in the window and hope for the best.”

“I know that....”

“Then why don’t you go and I will make sure he gets what he came for before I let the two of you go at it in the middle of my lobby and make you mop up your own blood afterwards.”

The triumphant expression on Neil’s face did nothing to bolster Kevin’s confidence. But finally, he sighed heavily and dragged a scarred hand down his face.    
  
“Fine. Whatever. I am exhausted anyways. Just...don’t fuck this up,” he said, and then turned to Neil. “And you....you have another meeting with Dr. Highland on Friday and if you don’t have anything she is going to make you sign up for therapy to keep your contract.”

Coming around the front of the counter, Andrew flicked a wrist towards the door. Kevin sent one last look to the both of them and then turned on his heel. Once he was outside Andrew wheeled on Neil. 

“Thanks for that. I already get enough of him at practi...” started Neil. 

“Oh....no,” Andrew said. “I don’t actually care. I just want this to go as quickly as possible and Kevin hinders that process. I still don’t like you.”

“It’s mutual,” said Neil with a sneer. 

Andrew led Neil towards the enclosures, but instead of going inside he veered left at the last moment, to a door at the end of the building. It led into a short hallway with two doors on each side, around eight feet apart. The door to get into the hallway, along with the cat enclosures were all locked with a keypad, but Andrew used a key from his pocket to open the second door on the left.

Inside the room there was bench built in to one side of the wall. On the other side was a tall, narrow cat tower, two litter boxes on the floor, several partially empty dishes and a wide array of colorful cat toys strewn about. As they entered, two tiny felines emerged from under the bench, mewling and crying for attention. 

“Why are they in here instead of one of the other areas?” asked Neil, crouching down to let them stiff his hand. 

“They were dumped here this weekend. We always quarantine them for a week or two until their blood tests come back and we can get them acclimated,” he explained, sitting on the end of the bench closest to the door.    
  
Usually they kept the new arrivals in the kennels at the clinic, but the kittens had been put in one of the private viewing rooms so they could be kept together.

“Dumped?” asked Neil, finally reaching out with slightly shaky hands to pet, and then pick up one of the kittens. 

“People know we will take them no questions asked.  So, when they find abandoned animals or are too irresponsible to get their own fixed, we end up with the throw-a-ways.”

“That’s awful,” said Neil, cradling the mottled brown kitten to his chest. 

“Yes, people are awful,” agreed Andrew. 

Neil hummed his own agreement and put down the kitten, reaching to swipe a hand along the back of another, nearly identical, brown kitten. Still crouching, he put a hand on the edge of the bench for balance and looked around. 

“I thought the placard on the door said there were three in here?”

Cracking an eye open where he’d tipped his head against the wall, Andrew slid his gaze to the cat tree. He didn’t move but pointed a finger from under his crossed arms to the carpeted tower. 

“Check in the bottom.”

Neil dropped to his knees and leaned down to peer inside the dark cut out at the bottom of the cat tower. Andrew very pointedly,  _ did not _ look at Neil’s ass, which you could still bounce a quarter off even a decade after college. Nor did he look at the way Neil’s jeans sealed around his muscular thighs as he leaned forward to reach for the dark ball of fur inside.

When he withdrew, it was with a small, mewling bundle of black. This kitten was a little smaller than the others and a white bandage was wrapped around the stump of its tail. Neil stood and maneuvered around the other cats to slide onto the bench against the wall. 

“What happened to his tail?” he asked, careful not to jostle the creature too harshly. 

“We’re not sure but it looked like someone pulled on it too hard. Aaron said the safest bet was to amputate.”

Neil frowned, scarred fingers stroking the short black hairs of the damaged feline. It stopped crying and settled in his lap, vibrating under his touch like a little motor-boat. He didn’t want a cat. The idea that an animal could somehow dampen his fury over his treatment by his team, his coaches, and the news media seemed utterly ridiculous. 

Just after graduating from Edgar Allen, Neil learned to hold his tongue when he needed to. It wasn’t hard at first, something he was used to from his childhood and early adolescence with his mother on the run and then under the  tyranny of the Master and Riko. When the truth about his parentage had come  out he’d been a target for his teammates and over-zealous reporters. But after Riko’s death, and later  Tetsujis , he stopped letting his team walk all over him. He might have been sold to the  Moriyamas but he wasn’t going to be a punching bag for the rest of the Ravens. 

Going pro was a different story. No one wanted to sign a PR  nightmare, so Neil was careful to toe the line his senior year and then his first few years going pro. He made it to court, made a name for himself. After he turned thirty trouble started to bubble up again. The word ‘ _ retirement _ ’ started to get thrown around and it infuriated him. And only got worse once Kevin had retired the year before. 

Kevin’s stats had been slowly declining the last four years after a knee injury. He was still one of the best strikers in the game but years of hard  wear -and-tear on his body were taking a toll. Neil’s stats surpassed  his the year before he officially retired. At the last Olympic games, a year prior, they still played like a well-oiled machine. Sure, some of the other strikers on the team were faster, nimbler now. But Kevin and Neil together were still unstoppable. Which Neil guessed was part of the reason he was taking Kevin’s retirement, and his subsequent trade to Kevin’s team, with even less grace. It was like people didn’t believe Neil could survive the game without Kevin. Like he had no merit to his own skills. Kevin had a wife and a daughter, a coaching position and the respect of the exy community. He had a life that didn't have to be lived on the court. Neil only had exy. And he wasn’t ready to give it up yet. And if that meant getting a damn animal to help help with his 'anger issues' then he would do it. 

“Does it have a name?” Neil asked. 

Andrew shook his head. “No. Nicky will make up something ridiculous for the website but most owners change their names after they’re adopted.”

Neil pulled a face. “Doesn’t that confuse them?”

“They’re cats. They do not really care what you call them.”

The kitten climbed off his lap and wandered towards Andrew. He held out a finger and then when the cat butted his hand with  it’s wet nose he ran a hand along it’s back. 

“So if you’re trying to get one to come to you it doesn’t know it’s name?”

Andrew shifted a little to face him. “You really know nothing about cats, do you?”

Neil shrugged, suddenly even more uncomfortable. Andrew rolled his eyes and stood, beckoning Neil to follow. Once they were back at the desk the blond plucked a booklet from one of the plastic stands on the counter. He thrust it into Neil’s hands. 

“Go home. Read this. Come back when you know what you want.”

“But Kevin...” 

“Then don’t tell Kevin,” said Andrew, more annoyed every second. “The kittens will still be here tomorrow. If you read this and think you can handle one then we can talk.”

Neil sighed but opened the  pamphlet , flipping through. He nodded and rolled it up in his hand. 

“Alright. I’ll be back then.”

* * *

Wednesday, November 11 th

“I’ll take them,” said Neil, pushing the adoption application towards Andrew. 

Andrew was stuck at the front desk once again since Nicky had taken Cassie to lunch. 

“ ..... Them?” he asked.

“The kittens.”

“The kittens.”

Neil huffed. “Is there an echo in here? Yes, the kittens.”

“All three of them,” said Andrew. 

Neil gave a resolute nod and then shrugged a little. “I don’t want separate them. They’re siblings, right?”

Andrew gave a little flinch that Neil seemed to notice but they both plowed on as though they hadn’t. Andrew knew Neil’s background just as Andrew was sure Neil knew his – Aaron’s trial having been a very public affair. 

They completed the paperwork and Andrew briefed him on the fees and the process. A home visit would be required before he could take them – Nicky would visit him to make sure his place was suitable. When Andrew told  him he couldn’t take them until the following  Monday after they’d been cleared by the vet check Neil sighed. 

“Can’t I take them Friday? The team shrink said it has to be Friday or I have to do the stupid therapy sessions...” said Neil.

“Just give her the number. If she calls we can confirm you have adopted them and just can’t take them home yet.”

Neil drummed his fingers on the counter but agreed. And five days later, he was the owner of three, very cute, very problematic cats.


	2. Neil versus the Fur-midable Felines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil does not know how to cats. 
> 
> ~*~
> 
> All credit to Nora, I own nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter than anticipated but I didn't plan to update til friday anyways so. 
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Chapter Rating: T

Thursday, November 26 th

This was  definitely not how Andrew expected his Thanksgiving to go. He hated it more than most holidays but since the twins had been born, Andrew shoved down the horrific emotions he associated with the day (as he knew his own twin did) and sucked it up to attend their annual dinner as a family. Aaron was adamant that he wasn’t going to let his past get in the way of what his boys  deserved and Andrew silently agreed. 

For Andrew the day was filled with sipped whisky from a hidden flask, stealing bits of dessert when Katelyn had her back turned, and playing hide-and-seek with Jace and Jude - which usually ended with Andrew 'forgetting' to find them when it was his turn. Eventually they would emerge, scolding him with very Aaron-esque expressions. He wondered if he had looked so serious when he was four.  
  
Normally the holiday would have ended with Aaron and Erik yelling about some sports game on the television, Nicky egging them on and Katelyn shushing  them so they didn’t wake the children. Andrew would excuse himself after dinner, steal a pie, and go home alone to watch murder-mysteries on  netflix . It was a solid, fool-proof plan and had worked for years. But instead of settling in for a night of post-tryptophan laziness, he found himself standing just inside the door of Neil Josten’s apartment. 

When Neil came to pick up the kittens just over a week ago, Andrew made himself scarce – letting Nicky and Cassie do all the work. That should have been the end of it. But yesterday morning, Neil had called the shelter in a panic – something was wrong with the cats. After prodding for more information, Andrew had at least devised that they weren’t hurt or injured. It sounded more like something was wrong with Neil. Andrew explained that Neil could return the animals but that they didn’t do house calls just to check up on new owners. Neil was adamant that he wanted to keep the cats but that he desperately needed help. Resigned to the fact that Neil was not something he could get rid of so easily, Andrew agreed to stop by – to check on the welfare of the animals of course. Mostly he agreed in order to avoid another visit from Kevin.

They decided it was best for Andrew to come over on Thanksgiving since they both had the day off and neither would be occupied in the evening. Neil spun a quick tale about how he would swing by Kevin and Thea's for an early dinner, but hated to stay because Kevin’s father and stepmother, as well as Thea's mother, would all be present. Andrew, despite his best efforts to not care about Neil’s personal life, mentioned that he thought Neil hated Kevin.  _ “Everyone hates Kevin. But he’s also the only....friend...I really have,” Neil had replied, struggling on the word ‘friend’.  _ Andrew could relate but didn’t say as much. 

Neil answered the door after the first knock, looking tired and disheveled. He didn’t even have to explain the situation as Andrew latched on to the problem the moment his eyes scanned the small apartment. It was a little surprising. Neil should have plenty of  money but the apartment was small and plain. The building was nicer – a code was required to get through the  gate and he had to be buzzed into the building. But the actual apartment was barely bigger than Andrew’s living room. It seemed to have one bedroom, a small bathroom and a small kitchen. The living room was barely large enough for the love-seat and there was a laundry unit behind folding doors. The finishes were all updated with hardwood floors and stainless steel, but it was barely furnished and still felt cramped. 

It was also a mess. The fabric of the small couch had a hole clawed near the bottom corner and long scratches on the sides. The area rug under the coffee table had a stain on it, likely from a spilled bowl of food or drink. The curtains that covered the large floor to ceiling windows had holes scratched in them and behind, where the blinds were exposed, several of the plastic pieces were askew. Andrew followed Neil deeper in the apartment. He flicked on the light in the bedroom where a pillow lay discarded in the corner and there were feathers everywhere. In the kitchen, two plastic tubs with lids were on the counter, holding all sorts of cookware and cleaning products. 

Andrew pointed to the tubs. “What is this?”

“They figured out how to get in the lower cabinets and on top of the fridge.....” he sighed. 

Continuing on , they went into the bathroom. A single litter box, recently cleaned, but there was litter everywhere and there definitely wasn’t enough room to  maneuver around it easily to get to the tub. 

“So....what do you think?” Neil asked, as they made their way back to the living room. “How do I get them to...you know...not  destroy everything?”

Andrew folded his arms across his chest and turned slowly. “The first thing you need to do is do a better job of making the place cat-friendly.”

“But....I got a scratching post and toys and stuff...” frowned Neil, gesturing to the lone, untouched, unstable post in the corner that would easily be knocked over by a stiff wind, and three cheap toys on the floor.

Blinking slowly, Andrew gestured to the items. “This....is nothing...you have three,  three-month-old cats. They need options and ways to burn through their energy.”

Neil let out a long-suffering sigh and dropped his head against his shoulders. He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes before meeting Andrew’s gaze again. 

“Fine. Tell me what to do.”

Spinning in place, Andrew observed the room a final time. Currently the cats were sleeping – all three curled up in a tangle of limbs on the couch looking suspiciously innocent. He turned back to Neil. 

“I’ll need three days and $1200.”

Neil opened his mouth, presumably to complain, but seemed to think better of it. When he spoke  again, he looked more tired than anything. “Fine.”

“And a donation to the shelter,” added Andrew, just for the inconvenience. 

“ So, what’s the $1200 for then?” griped Neil. 

“To make this place habitable. The donation is for the time you’ve spent annoying me.”

Neil managed a weak scowl but waved Andrew back towards the kitchen. He pulled out a checkbook from one of the drawers and wrote two separate checks. One to Andrew for $1200, and one to Whisker Me Away for $5000.

Andrew slapped the pieces of paper against his hand twice before folding them in half and pocketing them. Neil slammed the drawer a little too harshly and it bounced back open, making him have to close it again. Then he moved towards the keurig, muttering about making coffee. 

“Do you want any?” he asked, sounding a little defeated. 

Leaning against the counter, Andrew watched him carefully. Whenever he’d seen Neil on TV or at a game in the past, he’d always looked so put-together. Even when he first turned up at the shelter in jeans and a  hoodie he still looked relatively neat. This Neil wore two different colored socks, blue basketball shorts and a thread-bare, white, long-sleeved shirt with a couple holes around the bottom hem. The sides of his head were still neatly trimmed but the auburn waves were slightly skewed to one side and a rogue piece had fallen down his forehead, tickling his brows. More notable was his posture – slightly hunched, making him seem smaller. Like all the fight had gone out of him. Far from the snarky, cock-sure athlete Andrew was used to seeing. When he realized his eyes had lingered too long where Neil’s flimsy shorts were starting to work their way between his toned ass-cheeks Andrew consciously flicked his eyes up. 

“No,” he said, without elaborating. 

Andrew turned on his heel and headed for the door. He really needed to stop looking at Neil like some sort of  expensive delicacy, only served at the most expensive restaurants. Maybe he needed to call Roland. It had been a while and he didn’t think his on again/off again hookup was seeing anyone at the moment. 

He paused with his hand on the door when a  voice stalled his exit.

“Wait....” Neil said, jogging a little to catch up. 

Andrew’s eyes struggled not to glance down as he bounced towards him. 

“Here,” said Neil, thrusting a little green tin in Andrew’s hands. 

Andrew popped the lid and looked inside, arching a brow towards Neil. 

“I swiped them from dinner. Thea is surprisingly good at baking....”

Closing the lid, Andrew tucked the container of cookies under his arm. He opened the door. 

“Sunday,” he said before leaving. “Those animals better still be alive when I come back....”

Neil rolled his eyes. “If anyone’s life is at risk it’s definitely mine...who knows what those little monsters are plotting at 3am when they start bouncing off the walls.”

When he reached the car, Andrew let out a long breath and reached for the cigarettes in his back pocket. He’d kicked the habit his junior year in college but picked it back up a few years ago, though a single pack usually lasted him a couple months now. He leaned against the car after getting it lit, blowing smoke into the cold air. After a few drags he ground out the stick on his shoe and put the remaining butt back in the package. Then he fished out his phone, scrolling through his contacts. His thumb hovered over  Roland's name for a few seconds before he jammed the device back in his pants, seeing blue eyes instead of brown, tanned skin instead of mocha, red hair instead of black.  _ Damnit. Absolutely no good will come of this. _

* * *

Sunday, November 29 th

The drywall shook as Neil careened into it for the second time that day, tripping over the same goddamn box. They seemed to be arriving every few hours and over the last three days Neil had amassed quite the collection of cardboard. Some he’d opened, most he’d stacked in the corner. The few he did open only made his temper flare even more since the objects inside the boxes took up less than a fourth of the space of the container that held them. 

They were filled with cat things – obviously. Everything from new dishes, litter boxes, decor and toys.  Of course so  far the cats (who he’d begun calling Harper, Miles, and  Jergan ) expressed little interest in the toys and more interest in sitting in the empty boxes. When someone knocked on his door that Sunday Neil was balls deep in a charcoal gray tangle of carpeted cat-tree pieces. 

“It’s open!” he yelled, having unlocked it earlier since he was expecting Andrew and had given him the code to the door as well as the gate. 

Andrew entered with toolbox under his arm and surveyed the mess. Neil could swear he caught the asshole smiling before he turned to close the door. When Andrew turned back around his face was as placid as ever. Which only infuriated Neil even more. 

“Are you going to do what I paid you to do or are you just going to stand there?” he asked, even though Andrew had only been idle for less than a minute. 

He dropped the box on the couch. “You did not pay me to help...you paid me to ‘tell you what to do’ and provide you with a solution.”

Neil frowned and dropped the  allen key he was holding. “....You’re not seriously just going to leave me with all this shit? What am I supposed to do with it?”

“Read the instructions, mostly,” chided Andrew. 

Neil rolled his eyes and kicked off the carpeted tubes to  extricate himself from the half-built tree. “I am. But you didn’t tell me you were going to buy literally every cat thing off amazon. I don’t have time to go through all this...”

Flattening his lips, Andrew shrugged out of his coat and tossed it on the couch over the box.  Next he removed his sweater, leaving him in a worn band t-shirt and his armbands. “Relax. I never said I wouldn’t help.”

“Oh. Okay. Good.” Neil deflated a little and kicked aside one of the screws. Harper chased it across the hardwood. “So what do you want me to do?”

Andrew surveyed him for a moment and his eyes jumped around the room, glinting gold in the light where the sun shone brightly through the open blinds.

“Just get everything out of the boxes first. We need more room to work.”

Neil did as he was told and opened all the boxes, breaking them down and dropping them off the balcony to the sidewalk, carrying them the rest of the way to the dumpster in several trips. Andrew went to work assembling the more complicated items and Neil gave in to his every instruction. 

Not only had he purchased cat related items – but some were for Neil. Child-locks for the cabinets so the cats couldn’t open them, a slip cover that stretched over the couch to prevent them from scratching, a new area rug that had a 'pet-proof' label on it, new black-out curtains that were heavy duty and could replace the thin curtains that were in tatters. Neil removed the blinds altogether. 

For the cats there were toys, water dishes that used running water, hidden cabinets for the litter boxes so he could hide two of them on each side of the television and no one would even know they were there. 

They mostly worked in silence and around noon they took a break – making sandwiches in Neil’s kitchen where all the items were thankfully back under the counters where they belonged. As they  ate, they somehow got on the topic of  exy – which mostly consisted of Neil complaining about Kevin and his teammates (past and present). Andrew could relate and chimed in  every once in a while  with his own ‘ _here is a perfect example of yet another reason Kevin is the most annoying person on the planet_ ’ story. 

Every once in a while the topic would shift and Neil would learn something surprising about Andrew – like the fact that he babysat his nephews while his brother was at work, or that every year Whisker Me Away would donate to a youth program in California that Andrew had been a part of when he was in the foster system. He also noted the mildly interested expression on the mans face when Neil started artistically doodling the cats names on their new food dishes, decorating the white porcelain with colorful sharpie. 

At two, the pair of them were assembling and attaching several pieces of shelves and ropes to the wall. Neil held one end while Andrew positioned it where he wanted and marked the spot on the stud to drill. 

“This looks familiar...” said Neil, turning over the ladder like shelf in his hand. “Like the ones at your rescue.”

When Neil looked over, it was to see Andrew’s bicep flexing as he held a drill a couple feet over his head. 

“That’s because I made them.”

Neil blinked several times, flinching at the loudness of the drill even though he was expecting the sound. When it stopped he turned to Andrew. 

“You made them?”

He put another hole in the wall. “Aaron lets me use his garage to store a couple wood-working things.”

That seemed....surprising. Andrew didn’t seem like the type to have such a normal hobby. Then again Neil also hadn’t expected a man colder than a block of dry ice to run a cat shelter. It was either endearing or maybe Andrew was a serial killer. He hadn’t decided which. 

Once they got the first round of shelves up the pair took a break. Andrew pilfered Neil’s very limited supply of alcohol, fishing an old beer from the back of the fridge (likely left by his publicist on one of his visits) and Neil crinkled a bottle of water in his hand. The cats knocked his  brita filter off the counter and cracked it three days ago – he hadn’t ordered a replacement yet. Just as he was throwing away the empty bottle the smaller of the brown kittens started chewing on something a few feet away. 

“No!  Jergan ...bad...we don’t...eat...plastic...” he said, chasing the feline for a few feet to wrench the wrapping from his mouth. 

By this time, Andrew had heard Neil chastise  all of the cats in turn, having been a handful while they tried to get everything organized. Neil turned in time to see his lip curl into a sneer. 

“ ....Did you name your cats after fucking  exy players?”

Neil bristled but refused to be  embarrassed . “ _Hall of Fame_ exy players. What else was I supposed to call them?”

“Literally anything else.”

Clicking his tongue, Neil tossed the piece of plastic and instead balled up a useless piece of paper and tossed it across the floor. The cats ran after it like it was the best  toy they’d ever been presented with. 

“I don’t know a lot of names.”

“Really....” said Andrew, skeptically. “I thought you had a lot of experience making up names?”

Recoiling slightly, Neil squared his shoulders and followed Andrew back to the wall to finish their task. A few minutes later Harper wound herself around Neil's leg and he gently edged her away with his toe. 

“ ....Hey , Andrew?” he asked quietly. 

Andrew stopped hammering momentarily. “Hmm?”

“ ....Did Kevin ever talk about  me? You know, when he transferred to Palmetto.”

A dozen more taps of the hammer, careful placement of another layer of shelving. Andrew dropped the hammer to trade it for a screwdriver, focusing on the task at hand. Neil watched closely and didn’t miss when Andrew’s eyes flickered in his direction. 

“Not much at first. Only your name and stats. He told us the rest after your real name was on the news,” he admittedly blandly. "What he knew anyways. I am sure it wasn't everything."

When Andrew held out his hand for another screw, Neil handed it to him. “Yea.....”

When they were finished, Andrew stepped back to survey his work and Neil took in the room. It was nearing six o’clock and Neil could feel his stomach grumbling again. Looking around the apartment, it had been totally transformed. Evidence of the cats could be found in every nook and  cranny but it was tasteful...or at least he thought it was, and the cats were peacefully playing on the large cat tower in the corner. It was taller than Neil by a foot and they seemed to enjoy clawing their way to the top. He hoped it might save his couch and new curtains at least. 

Cleaning up the mess, Andrew silently collected his tools and put them back in the box. There were two cardboard boxes still left on the floor and when Andrew moved to collect them Neil stopped him, kicking them against the entertainment center. 

“Leave them......” he said, voice a bit sheepish. “The cats seem to like them.”

Andrew nodded and picked up the toolbox, making his way towards the door. Neil followed. 

“Thank you...for doing all this,” he said sincerely. “Maybe I can buy you lunch or something sometime...as a thank you.”

When Andrew turned to arch a blond eyebrow at him Neil realized how that must have sounded, ears going a little pink under his curls that were flopping over after hours of being ignored. He really needed a haircut...

“That will not be necessary,” Andrew said, not unkindly. “You already paid me.”

“I know,” said Neil, shrugging a little. “Still. Thanks.”

Hazel eyes paused to rake over his form, narrowing slightly, as if trying to decide how serious he was. Ultimately Andrew just gave a small nod and turned. 

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to kill him.....” he said, hand curled around the knob. 

Andrew turned back to look of his shoulder to find Neil watching him curiously, head tilted to the side. “Kill...?”

“Your father,” Andrew explained. “He seemed like a prick.”

Neil felt the corner of his mouth twitch and he let himself smile cautiously. 

“Yea, that would have been nice,” he admitted easily. “But dead is dead.”

“Dead is dead,” Andrew agreed. 

And then he was gone, leaving Neil with his thoughts and three shrieking cats who were ready for dinner, as if they had been the ones working tirelessly all day. 

“Alright, alright I’m fucking coming you furry bastards...god you’d think you’ve never been fed in your lives. Oh yea, you had just a hard day huh? All that back-breaking work. Ungrateful little gremlins...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We end this chapter with Neil talking to his cats like I talk to mine. XD


	3. Fur-get the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil makes an unannounced visit but Andrew already has a guest. 
> 
> ~*~
> 
> All credit to Nora, I own nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another slightly shorter chapter because it would have been way too long if I went into the next one. 
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Chapter Rating: T (Mentions of canon past self-harm/rape)

March 15th

A week passed, and then two, and there was no reasonable expectation for Andrew to assume he would hear from Neil again. He received one text, four days after his last visit to Neil’s apartment that just consisted of a picture of three  adorable , happy, kittens enjoying their cat-I- fying efforts and a thumbs up. 

But on week three Neil arrived with the black kitten, Harper, to take her to the clinic so they could check on her tail. The bandages had already come off and the stitches were finally ready to come out. When he arrived with the cat-carrier he stopped by the shelter first, making small talk with Andrew about  nothing in particular . When Kate came to fetch  him he disappeared next door for half an hour. Afterwards he left and Andrew thought the  encounter had been unremarkable. 

But then it happened again, and again, and again. Neil would ‘swing by’ after practice, claiming the shelter was on his way home. Andrew, having been to both the court and Neil’s apartment, knew it was at least an extra seven miles out of the way but said nothing. Neil would stop to talk or to antagonize Nicky by pretending he didn’t know who famous pop-culture figures were. At Christmas he sent a spread of pastries to the shelter with a thank you note. For some reason it set Andrew off and he’d texted Neil and told him to come pick it up. He didn’t need some rich  athletes hand-outs. Unless they were Kevin’s, who Andrew would happily inconvenience at any given time. Neil’s only response had been that he could give them away to customers if he didn’t want them, completely oblivious to the severity of the disgruntled text. 

In January the visits slowed down as the  exy season kicked back in to  gear . But what Neil lacked in face-to-face visits he now made up in texts. Andrew ignored them at first but sometimes Neil would make a comment that deigned a response, even if that response was just to tell him to ‘fuck off.’ 

Though he would never admit it to anyone, himself included, Andrew sort of relied on the texts. They were a reprieve from his boring, monotonous life filled with the same people and the same daily routine. It wasn’t that he disliked his life – it was adequate and one he had built for himself after years of going through hell and somehow making it to the other side. But there was little variety that didn’t come in the shapes and sizes of the new felines that arrived at the shelter weekly. 

By mid-March Andrew was sitting on his couch, watching a re-run of a game show he had long since memorized the answers too when the revelation hit him like a ton of bricks. If it hadn’t been sitting already the force of it might have knocked him off his feet. 

He  _ liked _ Neil. He liked his stupid puns and his pretty face and his dry, dark humor that would probably have anyone else wondering how he wasn’t locked in a psych-ward somewhere. He liked that Neil  made an effort , and for some reason, didn’t seem to be afraid of Andrew. Despite the years having mellowed him out somewhat, Andrew was more than aware of his prickly demeanor and knew there were still moments when even his own family feared him. And the fact that he liked Neil for more than just his pretty face or athletic build was a problem. He didn’t  _ like  _ people. Not ever. He was fiercely loyal to his family. He was fair to his employees. He was tolerant of his few friends. But this was something else. Over the years, Andrew had hooked up with a dozen or so guys, only a few that held his attention long enough to see more than once – but he’d never dated any of them. They were just passing fancies. A way to scratch an itch. Maybe that’s what he needed? It had been almost a year since he’d hooked up with anyone and his hand wasn’t exactly exciting. Maybe he just needed to get laid. Yea. That’s all it was. Definitely. 

* * *

March 24th

There was absolutely no reason for Neil to be standing on the landing to Andrew’s apartment at ten o’clock on a Wednesday night. Well, not a reason – a flimsy excuse maybe. But here he was. Fidgety and a little annoyed with himself after having toiled over the idea for days to visit Andrew in person, which ultimately led to him pulling up in the parking lot, still so enraptured by his thoughts that he hadn’t realized where he was going. And now he was here, without having texted or given any warning, hand poised to knock. 

The door jerked open before he had a chance and light split his frame in half. Neil took a couple steps back at the sudden appearance of a tall, dark skinned man with a shaved head and lazy grin – he was pulling his shirt down over a chiseled hip bone with one hand. The stranger was turned half to the side and hadn’t seemed to notice Neil right away. 

“Don’t be a stranger....oh...hi!”

Eyeing the man warily, Neil stepped back, wondering if he had the right apartment. The door opened further to reveal a rumpled looking Andrew. His hair was  tousled and his cheeks and neck were slightly pink. As he smoothed down his own t-shirt in an unconscious sort of gesture, Neil looked away, feeling his own ears heat when he realized what he’d almost interrupted. 

“Branching out I see,” smiled the man, now looking between the two shorter men who were trying to look anywhere other than each other. “Good for you. I approve.”

“Leave,” stated Andrew, glancing up at his taller visitor. 

The man only laughed, pulling his sweater over his head. He was obviously used to Andrew’s surly personality and being kicked out in a rush.

“Call me if you ever want a third,” he said, with a wink to Andrew and nod towards Neil. “Not normally my thing but with a face like that I’ll make an exception.”

He was out the door and down the steps before Andrew could open his mouth to counter the confession, if that’s what he had planned to do. Neil noted that while he still looked just as calm and collected as normal, his posture was tense and the hand not holding the door open was clenched in a fist at his side. Hazel eyes tracked the visitor until he was out of sight and then Andrew turned his stare on Neil, absently nudging a cat away from the door with his sock-covered feet without even looking. 

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, voice curt and annoyed. 

Neil suddenly  regretted his impulse trip. He  definitely should have texted first. 

“What? Oh...um. Kevin gave me the address. I’m here to give you the tickets....” he managed, finally meeting Andrew’s gaze. 

“Tickets?” asked Andrew, sounding confused and looking more annoyed by the second. He pushed a cat away with his toe again and gestured for Neil to come in instead. 

“For the charity auction?” said Neil, pressing himself as close to the wall as possible once the door was closed. 

Andrew’s brow dug into his skin and he slowly moved to put his hands in his pocket but aborted the motion when Neil shoved an envelope in them. He opened it and examined the contents, keeping his eyes on the smooth paper. When he finally looked back up, Neil doubted he’d done a good job of hiding the irritation that must have been plainly written across his features. Andrew’s own expression  shuttered and he just motioned for Neil to follow him further into the apartment.

Trailing him into a small bedroom, Neil watched Andrew move around a black desk and drop into a rolling chair. He opened the top left drawer and his arm pulled away with a receipt book in hand. There wasn’t another chair in the room so Neil pushed himself on his toes so he was tall enough to half sit on the corner of the surface. 

“So.....was that your boyfriend?” asked Neil, trying to sound casual but the edge to his voice still sounding a little sharp. 

Fingers paused as Andrew stopped writing but didn’t look up. 

“No,” he answered, resuming his scribbling. 

Neil huffed quietly and crossed his arms, staring at a fixed point on the wall instead of the blond head to his left. He remembered the articles and news stories that circulated his last years in school, and even afterwards when Andrew had been signed to the New York Titans. When Neil was a Junior at Edgar Allen, Andrew had been  outted by one of his younger teammates. The story they ran was sensationalized and Neil remembered ranting to Jean about it. He couldn’t understand why one players sexuality was more important than the semi-finals that were approaching that spring. Sure, there were very few openly gay  exy athletes, and even fewer that were male. But what was the big deal? Who you were sleeping with had nothing to do with  exy or your ability on the  court.

He vividly remembered his time with the Ravens and had walked in on more than one late night rendezvous between his male teammates – which was far more common than any hetero-hookups since there were only ever two females who played for the Ravens at any given time. They weren’t allowed to associate with outsiders and often took out their  pent-up sexual frustrations on each other. Except Neil, of course, who thought it boring and pointless and had absolutely no interest. He’d been propositioned a few times by some of his teammates but had always turned them away, sometimes on threat of violence; sometimes with actual violence when they didn’t want to take ‘no’ for an answer. But it never phased him. 

So why did Andrew’s evasive answer bother him so much? The concept of relationships or sex had never made any sense or even wandered onto his radar before. He’d never once been attracted to anyone, though he knew that wasn’t the ‘norm’. But now he couldn’t help  notice Andrew – cheeks still a little flushed, hair mussed and lips fuller and more glossy than usual. His biceps shifted enticingly under the thin cotton of his shirt as he wrote and his armbands were missing as well, the sleeves of his shirt hiked-up to his mid-forearm. Neil could see faint lines of scaring, intricately woven on pale skin. He already knew that story too, having read about and watched Aaron  Minyards trial on television. 

His gut clenched involuntarily as he remembered the expose written afterwards and one night, about six years ago, when a drunken Kevin had recounted the events of Andrew’s assault. How he’d walked in on a man raping Andrew during Thanksgiving at another one of their  teammates houses. How he’d been too frozen to do anything, helpless, as he watched Aaron pick up a liquor bottle and hit the man over the head so hard it killed him. Neil remembered thinking such a death was too quick for someone that vile. It still bothered him that his father’s death had been two shots to the chest and head. 

Nathan  Wesninski had tortured so many, including his wife, Mary, when he’d caught up to them in Seattle when Neil was thirteen. Neil had been helpless then and could only watch as he was ripped from his  mothers side and sold to the  Moriyamas . He never saw her again and knew she had been killed. Riko liked to recount her death, whether it was true or not he wasn’t sure, when he wanted to goad Neil into lashing out – just to have an excuse to beat him into submission. Sometimes it worked, sometimes he bit his tongue until it bled rather than take the bait. 

Neil’s eyes flickered up to Andrew’s, who must have noticed him looking at his scarred limbs because once he ripped the receipt from the  book he slid it across the table and tugged his sleeves down.

“Is that all?” asked Andrew, sounding more irritated than Neil now. 

Neil frowned and picked up the receipt, shaking his head a little to clear his thoughts and trying for a more amicable expression. After all, he’d come here to help Andrew. To give him a gift of sorts. 

“Oh...um, yea,” managed Neil, pocketing the  receipt . 

Andrew shoved the receipt book and envelope in the drawer and closed it, standing. Before he could round the table two cats materialized out of thin air and hopped onto the desk. Neil pushed away, startled, but they moved straight towards Andrew, head-butting his chest for attention. He  pet them each in turn. Trying desperately to keep his mind on the present, and not about what Andrew had been doing just before he arrived, Neil took the new arrivals as a distraction.

“These yours?” Neil tried, looking from the felines to Andrew, who arched a brow.

“I mean obviously,” Neil continued. “What are their names?”

It took Andrew a solid minute to answer and a good forty-five seconds after that for the words to  actually sink in. Neil’s expressions shifted from blank, to confused, to incredulous before he managed to sputter a response. 

“You...you’re joking.”

Judging by the irritated twitch of Andrew’s mouth, he was in fact, not joking. 

“You’re serious?” Neil asked, trying to suppress a grin. He failed, laughing so hard he nearly doubled over. Both cats scattered at the sound. “Oh....that...that might be my new favorite thing about you.”

Andrew seemed to convulse a little, involuntarily, and rolled his eyes. He made a show of plucking orange and brown cat hairs from his shirt. “My cousin named them. I call them Sir and King. Also....you named your cats after exy players.”

“Oh...I know you’re trying to get some cool points back but you’re not coming back from that one so easily,” he chuckled. 

Andrew took a menacing step forward and Neil pushed away from the desk towards the door, backing out with his hands held at chest height, still smiling. “ Fine...fine . I’ll go. And leave you to cuddle King  Fluffkins and Sir Fat Cat  Mccatterson .”

A stapler went flying and clattered off the wall, narrowly missing Neil’s retreating form as he scurried into the living room. The blond continued pinning him with a threatening glare until his back was to the door. Neil paused with his fingers curled around the handle. 

“Hey....” he said, finally dropping the smile for something more genuine. “Good luck tomorrow. I wish I could come.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Andrew managed to look a little less murderous by the time Neil opened the door a crack. “ No, you don’t.”

“Really,” he said sincerely. “If I didn’t have a game I’d be there.”

“Sure,” Andrew huffed, doubtful. No one except people like Nicky or Renee  actually enjoyed charity events. 

Neil rolled his eyes and stepped onto the landing. “Whatever.....just make sure you make some money off the tickets. For the cats.”

Andrew considered pushing him the rest of the way out, but instead muttered, “For the cats.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the sporadic updates. School has started up again and there is social-justice-ing to be done. But I promise I'm still working on stuff!


	4. Caturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone spends saturday at the rescues charity event. Neil and Andrew almost have a moment.
> 
> ~*~
> 
> All credit to Nora, I own nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My update schedule is probably gonna be all over the place for a bit.
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Chapter Rating: G (other than some swearing)

Saturday, March 27 th

Despite the mild spring weather, the heat from the sun warmed the bricks on the side of the building and Andrew pressed his shoulder blades harder into the wall. The warmth and pressure  was as grounding as the smoke spiraling above him until it blended into the backdrop of blue sky and wispy white clouds. He took another long drag and flicked ash from the stick with a practiced finger despite the infrequency of his smoking habit these days. 

While he was sequestered away on the side of the building, he could hear the chatter and bustle of the event in full swing just around the corner. It was a nice day and they had set up most of the tables in the front parking lot and patio directly in front of the building, with a few on the inside as well. Events like this were necessary to keep the business afloat and to keep the public interested, and more importantly to find the animals good homes, but that didn’t mean Andrew enjoyed being surrounded by droves of strangers and giggling children that weren’t related to him. He spent most of his time in his office on days like these, coming out just to monitor the activities and make sure things were going as planned. Luckily all the volunteers from the local high school showed up and were suffering under Nicky's direction. Andrew had a deal with the local JDR court and allowed some of the offenders to work off their community service hours at the shelter. This particular batch had been caught vandalizing the school gym as a prank and had the unfortunate experience of getting caught. Idiots. 

It was only a little after noon, the fundraiser having only been in full swing for around two hours. They wouldn’t wrap up until five o’clock and Andrew counted down the minutes. As he tucked his phone in his pocket he caught a glimpse of a familiar car pulling up. Most of the parking was already full, including the lot that belonged to the small law office at the end of the strip mall that Andrew was currently leaning against. They were closed on the weekends so the shelter had been able to utilize their spaces as well. 

The car parked at the end of the lot and Kevin and Thea emerged. Kevin moved around to the back to pull his  five-year-old daughter, Amalia, from the car while Neil appeared on the other side, closing the back door. Amalia appeared to be tired and grumpy, even from the distance Andrew could see her rubbing her eyes and wearing a frown  identical to the one Kevin always woke up with during their time at PSU. The doting parents were so engrossed in trying to preemptively prevent a tantrum that they didn’t notice Andrew lurking on the side of the building. Neil’s eyes, however, found him almost immediately. For a moment he trailed behind the Day’s as they approached the front of the building to check out the  festivities but Neil veered to the right and approached discreetly until they were both tucked away and out of sight. 

“Hiding from your own event?” asked Neil, grinning. He seemed to be in a stupidly good mood for some reason. 

“Don’t you have a game today?” countered Andrew after a few beats, taking another long pull from the cigarette. 

Neil leaned against the brick and propped a foot on the wall behind him, mirroring Andrew’s position. “Cancelled. Bad storm. Tornado knocked out power for most of the  city so it’s postponed until next Friday.”

“Mm. And you had nothing better to do on a Saturday?” Andrew asked, skeptically.

Shifting against the wall, Neil’s shoulder brushed Andrew’s and Andrew leaned away to keep from leaning into it. 

“I told you I’d come if I didn’t have a game,” said Neil, dropping his head forward to get a better look at Andrew.

Andrew rolled his eyes. “I don’t remember inviting you.”

“ Sure you did,” said Neil, huffing a laugh. “I thought you had a perfect memory? Or maybe your old age is working against you.”

Keeping his eyes forward was a struggle but he refused to give in to Neil’s teasing. 

Sensing he wasn’t getting a  reaction, Neil reached down and snagged the cigarette from Andrew’s loose fingers and brought it to his own lips. He took a single drag, coughing lightly before holding it up to his face to inspect. Andrew slid him a flat, unimpressed look that Neil returned with a smirk. 

“Kevin will have your balls if he catches you with that,” said Andrew. 

Neil let out another smoky huff, taking another drag. “Kevin’s had my balls for years. You think I chose to transfer to his team?”

Andrew took the stick back and brought it to his own lips for a moment. “You can always quit. My  _ perfect memory _ recalls reading an article about you being the second oldest player in the league....”

Neil bristled at the jab and jammed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Yea, well I’ve also still got the seventh best striker stats in the league.” 

“That will not be enough to make court again,” Andrew continued, watching for Neil’s reaction. 

The striker turned to face him, shoulder pressed against the wall now as he glared at Andrew with mild irritation. “Are you always this much of an asshole when you have to do something you don’t want?”

Andrew dropped the cigarette, grinding it into the pavement with his heavy boots that didn't match the aesthetic of the lime green ‘Whisker Me Away’ t-shirt he was sporting and mimicked Neil’s position, crossing his arms. “Are  _ you _ going to leave your precious  exy gracefully at some point or will it take them carrying you off the court in a body bag?”

The pair stared each other down for a solid minute. For a passing second Andrew felt, what he could only assume was regret for bringing up such an obviously touchy subject. It was such a foreign feeling that he didn’t know what to do with it. Luckily Neil seemed to decide he was being intentionally annoying and sighed heavily, muttering something that might have been ‘prick’ under his breath. To diffuse the awkward moment Andrew pushed off the wall and turned, motioning for Neil to follow. 

“Come on. Might as well make yourself useful while you’re here.”

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. Small children ran around as though they were trying out for an Olympic marathon, winding between legs and shrieking like endangered animals from the Amazon. Andrew usually made himself  scarce but he was supervising the treatment of the animals by tiny human hands to make sure they didn’t get too rough. Currently his attention was split. Nicky had somehow managed to wrangle both Neil and Kevin into the ugly ‘Whisker Me Away’ shirts and set them down to sign autographs for donations, announcing they would auction off the exy tickets at 3pm. On the other side of the lobby Katelyn and Aaron were standing with their boys and their two massive golden retrievers – Poppy and Pokey (named by the twins). Usually Andrew wasn’t much of a dog  person but the animals were mild-mannered and worked as therapy dogs. Katelyn would take them, along with the twins, to the local children's hospital every other weekend to interact with the kids there. 

While Jace and Jude were mischievous little gremlins most of the time, they had a rough start in the beginning. Katelyn’s pregnancy had been  difficult and it was around that time that Andrew realized he no longer hated his sister-in-law. Aaron spent much of the time fretting over her and Andrew helped pick up the slack where he could. She spent her final six weeks on bed-rest and when the twins were born, it was with identical heart defects. Two surgeries each and four months in the hospital later they came home happy and healthy, but none of them ever forgot how terrifying it had all been. Even Andrew. 

At two o’clock Andrew’s old PSU teammates, Matt Boyd and Danielle Wilds-Boyd had arrived, along with his old coach and his wife – the teams old nurse. Kevin had apparently let slip that they would be at the event so  Wymack and Abby decided to come out and spend some time with their  granddaughter . Amalia shrieked in delight when she noticed the taller man and he readily scooped her up into his tattooed arms, Abby brushing her curls back and cooing something at the child. 

Matt and Dan had also brought their kids. Andrew thought they were maybe around six and ten years old. Though it had been years since he’d seen them, having not bothered to stay in touch with most of his old teammates. The ten-year-old, Ren – Andrew thought his name was, was almost as tall as his former captain. 

“Minyard,” said Dan on her approach, keeping a tight hold on her  daughters hand, even as she tried to pull away to follow her brother who was making a beeline for the dogs. 

“Wilds,” he countered, crossing his arms over his chest, which he realized probably wasn’t very intimidating given his clothing. 

“Glad to see you’re staying out of trouble,” she smiled. 

“Glad to see you still don’t know how  to mind your own business.”

Dan grinned and let Matt scoop up their smallest child and carry her over to the fluffy k-9's.

“Wait...” she said, leaning to the side a little. “Is...is that Josten? What the hell? How did you talk him in to coming out with Kevin? I thought he never did charity stuff....”

Andrew only shrugged. “I think he enjoys being the bane of my existence.”

It was at that moment that Nicky threw his arms around  both of them from behind. Andrew tensed and barely managed to keep from reflexively throwing an elbow back into his idiot  cousins' ribs. 

“Aww...don’t lie Andrew.  You know Neil is your new  bff .”

“I will stab you,” offered Andrew, shaking him off. 

Nicky let go and instead focused his lack of awareness about personal space on their old captain. 

“He hasn’t stabbed anyone in seven years,” Nicky stage whispered. “Aren’t you so proud of him?”

Dan grinned and Andrew turned to leave them to their gossip. 

By late afternoon, Andrew thought some of the crowd might have thinned, but it was more packed than ever. They made a decent amount for the  exy tickets they raffled and by four pm there were people parking in the grass lot next to the building and there was barely space to move around.  Apparently, Nicky had done his job a little too well and as soon as Kevin and Neil showed up, used them as advertising for the event. Even the Chimeras publicist showed up and nodded approvingly. 

Any events attended by players would normally have to go through proper channels and be approved, but this particular event must have been so innocuous and the woman seemed so grateful to see Kevin and Neil both being amicable towards the public that she only stayed for a few minutes before leaving them to their devices, asking Nicky to forward along any photos. 

At six, Andrew locked the doors and Nicky finished shuffling along the last few patrons who were still lingering even though the event had been over for an hour. The former Foxes hovered to the side of the door. Amalia was asleep against Kevin’s shoulder where he held her and swayed unconsciously. Aaron and Katelyn had returned home more than an hour ago when the twins started to get cranky. Matt and Dan waved goodbye, each with a carrier in their arms having been cajoled by their children (and Nicky) into adopting two cats. When he finished stowing the keys in his pocket he turned to the group.  Wymack and Kevin were making plans to head to a restaurant to grab dinner and catch up, Nicky was texting Erik to say he would pick up food on the way home. Neil, having been listening to the conversation,  excused himself to the side, saying he would call an uber, claiming he was ‘too tired’ to join them for dinner – though Andrew suspected he just didn’t want to intrude on the family affair. Either that or he had reached his ‘Kevin-capacity’ for the day. 

“Nonsense, Andrew can take Neil home,” said Nicky, stowing his own phone. 

“What?” asked Andrew and Neil at once, followed by  simultaneously glaring at each other for the jinx. 

“I mean, you guys live really close...it’s not like it’s out of your way,” Nicky said. 

“How do you know we live close?” asked Neil, sounding suspicious. 

Nicky rolled his eyes. “Because I’ve been to both of your apartments...duh? Did you fry a brain cell signing too many autographs or something?”

Neil unconsciously tugged at the hem of the borrowed bands on his arm. Andrew had loaned them to him since the Whisker Me Away shirts were short  sleeved and he seemed uncomfortable. Andrew noticed that even during interviews Neil tended to cover up his scarred forearms. 

“Right...no, I just forgot,” said Neil. 

Andrew narrowed his eyes at his cousin one final time but flipped his keys over in his hand. “It’s fine. I can drop him off.”

* * *

The drive was silent, save for the riot of music Andrew kept at a  reasonable decibel since his head throbbed slightly from the long day. When he pulled up to Neil’s building Neil waved a thanks and climbed from the car. Before he closed the door he leaned back down, poking his head inside. 

“Did you uh...want to come up for  food? If you  stay I’ll have an excuse to order pizza instead of eating the box meal the dietitians force on me,” offered Neil. 

Andrew hummed, turning his head to watch Neil. He looked tired, his waves flopping haphazardly in his eyes and his shirt wrinkled. But his eyes were  bright and he had a sort of hopeful expression that affected Andrew more than he would care to admit. 

“I also have whisky,” added Neil. 

His lids dropped skeptically but he gestured for Neil to close the door. Neil’s expression dropped a  fraction but he closed the door and took a step back. Instead of leaving Andrew parked and trailed Neil up the stairs to his apartment. 

After ordering pizza, Neil joined Andrew in the kitchen where he was  examining the ‘whisky’. 

“This isn’t whisky, this is garbage,” Andrew said bluntly, though he poured himself a generous glass anyways. 

He slid the bottle to Neil who only poured a couple ounces in his own glass. 

“I don’t really drink,” explained Neil. “The bottle belonged to my old teammate I lived with before I moved.  It must have gotten mixed in with my stuff.”

“Your old teammate has shit taste,” said Andrew, fighting to keep a straight face as he sipped the cheap brand.

Neil only laughed. “My old teammate  _ was _ shit. Most of them were.”

Andrew huffed agreement and they made their way to the couch. Andrew watched the cats crawl over one of the cat trees that still seemed to be standing the test of time and Neil snagged the remote to turn on the tv – predictably, to a sports channel. An old  exy game was on and Neil mumbled under his breath and glared at the screen like it personally offended him. Andrew found his attention locking on to the man next to him. Trying to figure him out. 

After a few moments he finally asked “If you hate everything about  exy so much then why do you continue to do it?”

Neil straightened, setting his still mostly full glass on the coffee table. He was still looking ahead but Andrew could tell he was screwing up his face in thought. 

“I don’t hate playing,” he said finally. 

“No. Just everything else...” chided Andrew. 

He wondered why he’d even brought it up. He could care less about Neil’s obsession for tossing a stupid ball around under too-bright lights amidst thousands of screaming fanatics. And yet, he kept bringing it up. Kept finding himself watching Neil’s games,  committing news articles and ESPN clips to memory like some kind of stalker.

Silence fell around them, save the odd noise from the cats playing or the announcers on the television. When the pizza  arrived they ate slowly, each sticking to their end of the couch and keeping their eyes resolutely ahead. Eventually Andrew swiped the controller and changed the channel. Despite Neil’s dedication and interest in the sports channel, he didn’t argue and seemed to relax more when Andrew settled on a game show, his shoulders slouching as he leaned back against the couch, tucking one foot under his thigh. A slice of pizza sagged in Neil’s hand and Andrew could feel himself being watched. He pressed his lips closed, realizing he was doing the thing again – as Nicky would have said. He tended to mouth the answers to the questions on game shows without saying them out loud. 

“Do you like it?” Neil blurted, as jeopardy rolled into a commercial break. 

“Like what?” snapped Andrew, sounding more on edge than intended. 

“Running the shelter,” Neil clarified. “You gave up exy for it so you must.”

Andrew turned a little in his seat, downing the last bit of whisky and allowing his full attention to settle on Neil. “ Exy was only ever a means to an end. I needed the money to settle into something else.”

Neil’s brows lifted and he slid a hand along the back of the cushions. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I hate it less than I hate everything else,” Andrew finally sighed. 

“Everything else?” asked Neil, his lip tugging at the corner. “Even me?”

“Especially you,” said Andrew, without missing a beat. 

Neil’s expression said he didn’t believe him  _ at  _ _ all _ __ and Andrew’s chest clenched with that unfamiliar feeling again. How dare this virtual stranger  _ not believe _ Andrew hated him. If Andrew said he hated him then he hated him. He was a lot of things but being a liar had never been one of his dominate personality traits. 

Unable to stop himself, Andrew focused his stare on Neil’s lips. Full and smirking and infuriating and Andrew wanted nothing more than to wipe his expression from his stupid face. The terrifying part was that he couldn’t tell if he wanted to hit him or kiss him. And he was so focused on watching Neil that he didn’t miss when Neil’s gaze dropped to his lips, nor when Neil leaned in a fraction, starting to close the distance across the small couch. Andrew’s pulse jumped in his veins and then his heart nearly jumped out of his chest at the absurdly loud sound of Neil’s phone vibrating across the table. Neil jumped as well and narrowed his eyes at the device. For a moment Andrew through he might chuck it across the room, but he swiped it up and jammed his thumb on the button instead. He still looked annoyed when his attention re-focused. Andrew lifted a careful brow. 

“Kevin,” Neil explained with a sigh. “We run every Sunday morning when we’re home. He was just wondering if I’d make it tomorrow.”

Andrew decided to take that as his cue to escape before he ended up doing something stupid. Like pushing Neil down against the slip-covered cushions and sucking the air right out of his lungs. 

He stood with a nod and couldn’t help but notice the shift in Neil’s features, disappointment replacing any sign of irritation. 

“You don’t have to go.”

He was already making his way to the door. “It’s getting late.”

Bullshit. It was only eight o’clock. 

“Can you even drive?” asked Neil, turning on the couch to watch him stuff his feet back into his boots. 

“Some of us aren’t lightweights,” countered Andrew. 

“Oh!” Neil startled, grabbing for the hems of the bands on his arms. “Don’t forget these...”

Without thinking, Andrew reached down and stilled Neil’s hand, stopping him from taking them off. “Keep them. I have others.”

Neil  scrunched his  forehead but his fingers went slack under Andrew’s, turning to give his hand a little squeeze. Andrew yanked his hand back so fast he might have been  shocked and Neil frowned more deeply. He could see an apology forming in Neil’s eyes and quickly turned away to pull the door open. 

“Okay well ....drive safe,” said Neil, still looking up at him, a slightly hurt expression gracing his stupid attractive face. 

Damnit. 

The small black kitten, Harper, offered a well-timed reprieve as she tried to slink around Andrew’s feet. He reached down and lifted her onto the arm of the couch where Neil pulled her into his lap, scratching her head absently. 

He already had a foot out the door but something kept him from running away while Neil still looked like he’d kicked his puppy – or kitten, as it were. 

“Neil...” he said, pulling the door open a little wider. “Thank you. For today. It will  really help the rescue.”

Neil’s  expression softened  minutely, and Andrew decided he much preferred his face this way.

“You’re welcome,” Neil replied quietly. 

With a final nod, Andrew slipped outside and took a deep breath of the cool March air. 

This was not good. 

Not good  _ at all _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random update since I finished this chapter. 
> 
> Also don't drink a whole glass of whisky and then drive no matter what you think your tolerance is. Please and thank you.
> 
> Also Dan and Matt's oldest is named Renard (Ren for short) since it's Fox in french. I usually use this across most my fics because I'm lazy.


	5. Can't Fight that Feline Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew finally comes to terms with his 'feelings', Neil has a bad day.
> 
> ~*~
> 
> All credit to Nora, I own nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the title. 
> 
> That's a lie, no I'm not.
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Chapter Rating: T (panic attack/scar mentions)

Monday, April 19th

Three weeks went by and Andrew didn’t contact Neil. After his rather abrupt  _ fleeing  _ from Neil’s apartment, it felt awkward to make the first move. Not that it would be a  _ first move _ . Okay, maybe it would be. Because  _ something _ needed to happen. He just couldn’t shake Neil free from the clutter in his mind. Every time Nicky brought donuts in to work, every time he had to put together a new cat display, every time Aaron starting ranting about a sports game, all he could think about was Neil, Neil, Neil. The man hadn’t shown any interest in dating, as far as Andrew knew he had never dated anyone. Was he more likely to indulge in hookup culture like Andrew? No. He vaguely remembered Kevin mentioning Neil had threatened to stab one of the Ravens once when they propositioned him. Would he stab Andrew if Andrew came on to him? There had  definitely been a moment during their last encounter where Andrew was sure Neil was going to kiss him - and Andrew would have let him. That both unnerved and excited him more than anything else had in a long time. 

So, what would happen if Neil did say ‘yes’? Would Andrew get bored of him immediately like any of the other guys or would he want more? Would Neil want more? Andrew had never been so unsure about another person in his entire life. Usually people were much easier to read – their motives and intentions. And then there was Neil. With his easy smiles and hot temper, his sharp wit and gentle handling when it came to the animals. His generosity and genuine helpfulness that no one asked for. 

His quiet obsession was getting harder and harder to ignore since now he seemed to run into Neil everywhere. The bakery, the grocery store, the cell phone store where they apparently had inadvertently bought the same new model of phone. Usually Neil  made an effort at small talk, Andrew would hum his agreement or dissent and then they would part ways with nothing added between them. It was exhausting and Andrew knew it was mostly his fault. He was a lot of  things but a coward had never been one of them and he internally scolded himself for making excuses instead of just acting on what he wanted. 

Four days prior, the idea that he would have to make the first move was reluctantly, or not, taken from his hands. When he arrived home from work that Thursday there was an envelope under his door. Two tickets to the Chimeras home game that Saturday with a short, barely legible note.  _ ‘Still think I can’t cut  _ _ it? _ _ Come see for yourself. Dinner’s on me if I don’t score three times in the first half.’ _

Unreasonable anger bubbled up and Andrew crushed the envelope in his hand and then spent the next half hour trying to make the tickets look less like a  balled up mess. 

The next day he invited Aaron to come to the game with him – lying about of the tickets of course, saying Kevin had sent them. Aaron didn’t seem to buy it and certainly noticed him watching the striker. And while he could blow off his brothers curious stares, he couldn’t keep his ears from heating after Neil scored his third goal before half-time, jogged straight through the open plexiglass door, ripped off his helmet, and winked at Andrew. Andrew swore under his breath and promptly got up with the excuse of visiting the refreshment stand. Neil didn’t go on again and seemed too focused on the game to put much effort into finding Andrew in the stands again, but the warmth in his gut didn’t leave him the rest of the night. They left immediately after the game so Aaron could get back to his family and Andrew spent the next few days wondering if he should text Neil. Did he owe him dinner now? No. ..he’d never agreed to the stupid bet. 

Taking a hard right down the glassy suburban street, the car hydroplaned a little. It had been raining for days and the landscape was soggy and gray. Night was falling rapidly. He’d much rather be holed up in his apartment with a crime novel or something mindless on TV, but he’d missed his workout that afternoon. Usually he went straight to the gym after  work but  Katelyn's parents were in town and they wanted to take the ‘ Minyards ’ to a nice restaurant – which was  impossible with four- year-old twins. Jude  in particular was in a phase of flinging food he didn’t like every which way. And since Nicky went to a  _ yoga _ class with Erik Monday afternoons, that left Andrew to get the twins home and fed. The night hadn’t been a total bust – he'd successfully taught the children how to say the word ‘douche’, which they’d called Aaron immediately when he’d arrived home. Andrew relieved himself of responsibility immediately and headed home to wash off the grime of babysitting and now he was headed to the gym, even though it was after eight o’clock. 

Carefully...or maybe not so carefully, guiding the Maserati away from his neighborhood and towards the smaller city-center of the town, Andrew squinted through the heavy rain. Luckily it was just a few minutes from his house, and even more luckily the rain seemed to be keeping people away since the parking lot only had a few cars in it when he arrived. He sprinted into the building and ignored the buzz of his phone in his pocket. It was probably Aaron sending him angry emojis again – a bad habit he’d picked up from Nicky. Sometimes Andrew entertained them by just sending back a slew of middle fingers but opening his phone now meant having to look at his other most recent texts – several of which were from Neil earlier in the day, who had sent pictures of the cats again. Something he was doing quite frequently, now. And Andrew wanted no part of it tonight. He just wanted to run and lift heavy things until he couldn’t imagine Neil’s dumb, beautiful face or his sculpted calves chasing down an exy ball. 

Once inside the dry safety of the building, Andrew smoothed a hand through his wet hair and moved to pull his ear pods from his pocket. He made his way towards the cardio room, usually doing a half hour warm-up before he moved onto the free weights. There were only three other people inside and he made a beeline for the treadmill closest to the wall. As he approached his heart clenched at the sight of the man on the nearest machine, running full tilt with a mess of auburn curls held back by a tacky green  bandana . 

“....Neil?”

Neil nearly fell off the treadmill, stepping onto the sides and ripping his headphones out in one motion, gaping down at Andrew. He was breathing  heavily and Andrew tracked a bead of sweat as it rolled down the side of his neck. 

“Oh....hey...” said Neil, catching his breath. He pressed a button on the treadmill and hopped off to the side to face Andrew. “What are you doing here?”

“This is my gym,” he bristled, not sure if he was annoyed because he felt like a stalker or the stalk- ee . “What are  _ you _ doing here?”

Snatching the towel from the handrail, Neil patted it against his throat. “I usually run at  night but it’s been raining for days. Didn’t want to make the trip all the way to the court gym.”

Hazel eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Neil. Something about him was off. His smile was  decidedly fake – Andrew had seen it plenty of times on  television but it wasn’t one he often saw in person; and had never been tossed in his direction before. He also seemed tense and given the state of him, Andrew assumed he’d been at the gym for hours already. Neil took a drink of water and Andrew forced his eyes from watching his  adams apple bob and instead just gave the man a short nod,  continuing on to his own treadmill. 

Twenty minutes passed and Andrew didn’t miss the way Neil kept sneaking glances at him as they resumed their workouts. The glances only stopped when something caught his eye on one of the many televisions hanging over head. Andrew discretely pulled one of his ear pods out to listen. Neil’s own headphones were dangling around his neck and he’d slowed the machine to a brisk walk, his pinched expression fixed on the screen. They were all on the same channel – some national news station. A sports segment was on and the moment he heard Neil’s name over the speaker the man himself visibly flinched a few yards away. 

The anchors were recapping the Chimeras last game, the one Andrew had attended. They'd won but only by a point and barely made the spring semi-finals. For some reason the anchor seemed to have it in for Neil – calling his performance sub-par and his handling clumsy. Andrew considered himself  fairly unbiased when it came to something as pointless as  exy and while Neil hadn’t been the best player on the court that night, he hadn’t been anything close to sub-par. Sure, the other players were faster, more agile, but Neil anticipated players moves like a chess grandmaster. The final score had been 7-6 and Neil had scored the most of anyone on his  team so the assessment was just plain wrong. It wouldn’t be surprising it the guy just had a grudge towards Josten – he'd pissed off a lot of reporters over the years. After showing a recap of the single ball Neil had fumbled that night, the camera panned back to the anchors, the asshole stating Neil should ‘just retire and follow after his mentor – Kevin Day.’ 

Andrew slowed to a jog and his attention swiveled to Neil, who had gone rigid. He assumed he would be pissed; would find him glaring up at the stupid mouthpiece but instead Neil had gone white, his mouth parted slightly as he sucked in a breath and held it. 

The commotion started the moment Andrew looked away. In the split second it took for him to turn off his own machine, a man had walked behind Neil, picked up his fallen towel, and nudged it against his shoulder to hand it back. Neil rounded on him quicker than lightning, stepping off the machine and grabbing the guy by the throat. The man was almost a head taller than Neil but that didn’t stop him from slamming the guy into the elliptical behind them. The machine clattered and Andrew moved to intercept them, crowding Neil’s space but slowly enough that he knew Neil would sense him coming. 

“Neil.”

He could see glazed over blue eyes, twin glaciers staring into nothing even though he still had his hand locked around the man’s throat. To his credit, the guy looked more confused than scared and only gripped Neil’s wrist instead of trying to fight him off. 

“ _ Neil, _ ” Andrew said again, louder this time. 

Neil twitched violently and finally let go. The man stumbled away, sputtering, leaving Neil to look down at his shaking, scarred hands. When he looked up, the empty expression behind his eyes almost knocked the wind out of Andrew. He knew that look. He’d seen it in the mirror a thousand times before. 

“Come on,” said Andrew, reaching over to swipe Neil’s keys and water bottle from the cup holders on the machine. 

Guiding him out by the arm, Andrew pulled Neil through the downpour to his car and shoved him into the passenger seat. Once inside he cut the car on so the heat could dry them out but didn’t attempted to start the engine. Instead he turned in his seat, half facing the trembling man next to him. He didn’t know if the shaking was from the cold or something else. His gut told him the latter. 

“Talk,” he suggested, keeping his tone even and calm. 

Neil’s pinched fraught expression was still marring his features and he opened his mouth once, twice, but no sound came out. His breathing became more erratic and Andrew could tell he was still on the verge of a panic attack. 

Telegraphing his movements, Andrew reached around and clamped a hand over the back of Neil’s neck. “Breathe.”

Patience eventually paid off and after  six or seven minutes Neil’s breathing began to even out. He raised a hand and pulled the bandana from his head, wiping his forehead with it before letting it drop to his lap. 

Andrew let go and sat back against his seat. It was still raining but not as heavily  now so he cracked his windows and pulled a pack of cigarettes from the center console, lighting them and handing one to Neil. He never smoked in his car but could make an exception. He didn’t miss the way Neil had leaned into him the first time he’d been caught smoking. 

Taking the cigarette between somewhat more steady fingers, Neil hunched over the smoke. He didn’t take a drag but held it near his face instead, inhaling deeply. Andrew held his own near the window, where droplets trailed down the glass and pooled on the door inside. 

Without being prompted again, Neil finally spoke, taking a shaky breath first and keeping his eyes fixed on his lap. “I don’t know how to.... _ be _ ....without exy .”

Andrew blinked slowly, choosing his words carefully. “It’s just a sport.”

“It’s everything I am, Andrew,” said Neil, his voice stronger now. He looked up at Andrew with fury and pain in his eyes Andrew knew had nothing to do with him. “I was raised a Raven. I don’t know how to do...how to  _ be  _ anything else.”

“Then learn,” suggested Andrew, unsure if his chosen tactic would work, but he figured he would try being straight forward. It worked him sometimes when Bee was trying to make a point.

“You can’t just ....it’s not that simple,” said Neil, looking back down, studying the cigarette slowing burning down to the filter. 

Andrew took a drag of his own and huffed a smoky breath in Neil’s direction. “Despite what comes out of my mouth every time I see you, you aren’t an idiot. You are capable of being more than exy.”

Neil twitched in his seat and Andrew had the sneaking suspicion that no one had ever told him that before. 

“ ....What if I don’t want to be?” asked Neil, sounding cautious.

Andrew shrugged. “Then I guess you have a problem.”

Ash fell from Neil’s cigarette when he took a shuddering breath and landed on his thigh. He smeared it across his shorts and looked back at Andrew. He seemed more drained than anything, but at least it was an improvement from his earlier dread.

“Why are you doing this?” asked Neil, his voice quiet but his eyes locked on Andrew’s. 

“I’m not doing anything,” replied Andrew, automatically. 

Neil seemed like he wanted to argue but didn’t have the energy. He took another deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. 

“I just......I’m so tired of people comparing me to Kevin. Telling me what I can or can’t do,” he said. “I’m either angry or I shove it all down until I’m numb and I just ....I want to know what it’s like to feel something else. Most of the time I don’t feel a goddamn thing. It’s almost like I’m not human....”

Only a moment of silence cut between them. Because a moment later Andrew was moving. He plucked Neil’s cigarette from pliant digits and tossed them both through the small crack in the window. When he leaned back in, towards Neil, Neil didn’t recoil. When Andrew’s hand took its place on the back of Neil’s neck again Neil nearly went cross-eyed looking at him – they were so close. 

“What are you doing?” asked Neil, swallowing heavily but his voice was strong. 

“Making you feel something,” answered Andrew, pulling him in until their lips were nearly touching. “Yes..?”

Heated breath fanned Andrew’s lips as Neil exhaled and gave the smallest of nods, their foreheads bumping gently. 

“Yes...” he whispered. 

Andrew wasn’t sure what he was expecting but it  definitely wasn’t _ this _ . He expected the familiar pooling in his groin – which was there, no point in denying it. But what he wasn’t expecting was goddamn fireworks. A fucking volcano exploding in his chest and lava seeping out of his pores like he would catch fire. He wasn’t expecting for Neil to kiss him back like this – with a single mindedness that made goosebumps jump across his skin. Neil reached out and lightly clutched Andrew’s sleeve and he was barely aware of the touch because all he could feel were Neil’s lips moving pliantly – eagerly – against his. He could feel the hot, smooth skin on the back of Neil’s neck and let his hand slide up, through still damp tresses and bury there. His other hand joined a few seconds later and he tugged at Neil’s hair to change the angle of the kiss. He opened his mouth against spit swollen lips and Neil let Andrew press his tongue past the slick barrier. Eventually Neil’s other hand found Andrew’s neck and it felt too good to not allow the touch. 

They kissed until the hesitance disappeared and it turned furious. Until the windows were fogged and Neil was leaning halfway across the console, a leg under him for leverage. Andrew licked into his mouth and Neil tugged Andrew’s bottom lip with his teeth. Finally, when they were both panting for breath, Andrew pulled away, planting a few kissing down Neil’s jaw before retreating completely. Neil made a small noise at the loss and opened his eyes, bright and filled with desire. Andrew shoved down his own lust and reminded himself that Neil had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown only ten minutes before. He wouldn’t take advantage of his emotional state – no matter how badly he wanted to slam the gear shift into drive and drag Neil up to his bed. 

“We should go,” Andrew managed, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth. 

Still panting, Neil nodded and slowly reached down to adjust himself less than discretely, and then reached for the handle. 

The engine roared to life and  and Andrew flicked the button for the defogger. As Neil started to pull on the handle, Andrew reached down without looking and put his hand on Neil’s wrist. It wasn’t the one on the door but seemed to get his attention. 

“No,” said Andrew. “I’m dropping you off at home.”

“But...my car’s here...” said Neil, looking confused. 

“Get it tomorrow.”

Without another word Andrew shifted into gear and pulled from the parking lot. 

“Okay,” said Neil, tipping his head to the glass as they pulled away, looking as dazed as Andrew felt. 

Well. There was no going back now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finalllllly. Will they stop being dummies??? STAY TUNED.
> 
> I'm trying to update whenever I can so I don't get too bogged down with WIPs.


	6. The Here and Meow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew gets avoidy, Neil gets confronty. 
> 
> ~*~
> 
> All credit to Nora, I own nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm. Okay. So. This was originally going to be part of a longer chapter, but it's largely mild-smut and since I rated this T I wanted to post it as a stand alone to give people the option to skip if they wanted. It's not TOO bad but it's still kinda porn-y. 
> 
> To skip - stop reading at "But when Andrew’s hand found it’s way to his groin he realized he didn't much care about any hypothetical, future problems." 
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Chapter Rating: T/M (MILD smut)

Sunday, May 2 nd

Thirteen days. 

That’s how long Neil’s texts had gone unanswered. How long his phone calls had led to a rude voicemail [ _ This is Andrew, it’s not 2005, fucking text me] _ . Twice he’d shown up to the shelter, only for Nicky to give him a fake, apologetic smile and say he’d ‘Just missed’ Andrew. At least one of the times he knew he was lying. Andrew’s car had still been in the parking lot and nothing was close enough to walk to for lunch. 

As May arrived, bringing warmer weather and blissfully sunny skies, Neil had finally had enough. Their very confusing kiss aside....he missed talking to Andrew. He had Kevin, but Kevin was ....well , Kevin. Neil liked him well enough most days and their shared obsession with  exy made them relatively compatible. But he certainly wasn’t going to talk to Kevin about his current predicament. Andrew was something else. Neil could feel a deeper connection between them. It was something he couldn’t identify and honestly only noticed when the lack of communication made his absence an almost physical ache. Neil relied on Andrew’s presence...whether being around him or just a few words over a text as a reminder that he was there. It kept him grounded somehow. And now that he felt like he was being ghosted he was spiraling, gravity betraying him as he floated just above the surface, unable to find his footing. He wasn’t sure if he’d done something wrong, but whatever had happened between them, Neil needed answers. He needed that...missing link. 

This time he didn’t hesitate when he reached Andrews door, pounding on it with all the fury of an over-zealous girl scout trying to make quota. It took a few  seconds but quiet footsteps  preceded the door opening, revealing a mildly surprised looking Andrew who obviously hadn’t bothered to check through the peep hole so he could hide again. Neil breezed past him without invitation, kicking his shoes against the wall with a ‘thunk’ in a  last-ditch effort to be polite – he did have a reason for being here after all. 

“By all means, come in....” gestured Andrew, slamming the door a little harder than was probably necessary, his blank expression sliding into a familiar scowl.

Neil spun in  place, arms crossed as he put on a scowl of his own. “Why are you avoiding me?”

Andrew’s cheek twitched in a way that Neil thought he might mock him ....or lie. But seemed to think better of it. Good. Neil could spot a lie from thirty miles away. 

“Why not?” asked Andrew, evasively. 

With a huff, Neil’s scowl deepened.

“Look...I’m not going to turn into some...some clingy  one night stand just because we kissed,” he explained. “I just ....I don’t like...not...talking to you...”

He lost  momentum on the last three words but was sure Andrew heard them, as quiet as they were. Sometimes growing up a liar made honesty hard when it really  mattered and he was grateful to have gotten the words out before his nerves seized up. 

A tense silence stretched between them and Neil fought to keep his eyes locked on Andrews, refusing to break first.  Finally the blond sighed, unclenching the fists at his side. 

“I don’t do this,” said Andrew. 

Jutting his chin out, as if waiting for the rest of the explanation, Neil eventually held his hands out in askance before dropping them to his sides with a slap. 

“After I hook up with someone...that’s usually it,” Andrew explained quietly. “We don’t hang out. We don’t become best friends. It’s easier that way. You are.....not easy.”

Neil shifted to his other  foot, brow furrowed but scowl gone as he pressed his lips together. 

“ Look...if you don’t want to hookup that’s fine,” he said. “In  fact it’s more than fine because I don’t want your pity. But I still want to be...whatever we were. Even if you don’t consider us friends.”

“You think I kissed you out of pity?” Andrew bit out.

“I think I was having a panic attack before you kissed me,” said Neil without missing a beat. 

“I never do anything I do not want to do.”

“Okay,” said Neil.

“Okay,” echoed Andrew.

Neil tapped his foot against the floor and dug his nails into his palm, eyes dropping down to Andrew’s lips. They were glaring at each other again but the heat behind their expressions wasn’t born of malcontent. 

“I do actually want to kiss you again,” Neil finally grit out, sounding annoyed with himself. 

“Fine,” repeated Andrew. 

“Fine.”

Andrew surged forward and twisted his fingers in the collar of Neil’s shirt, spinning him to the wall and crashing their lips together. Neil’s hands found their way to Andrew’s hair, pulling him impossibly close as they attempted to steal the air from  each other's lungs. Part of him felt like this was a terrible idea. Knew that if something  happened he would lose his friend...even if Andrew didn't consider him one. But when Andrew’s hand found it’s way to his  groin he realized he didn't much care about any hypothetical, future problems. 

Jean clad hips replaced his hand as Andrew ground against Neil, pressing him harder into the wall. Neil’s groan was loud in the quiet apartment and Andrew grabbed a fistful of his hair at the sound, yanking his head back so he could latch on to Neil’s neck. He licked a line from the base of his throat to his jaw, biting down hard enough to elicit another involuntary sound. Neil’s fingers raked through straw colored hair, tugging lightly and encouraging Andrew to trail kisses down his collar, sucking a bruise just over the bone jutting out. The next time Andrew pushed against him Neil knew he would be able to feel the growing bulge behind his track pants, which left little to the imagination. Not that he couldn’t feel Andrew’s erection straining against denim. 

Andrew’s hand returned to his cock, palming over cloth and he breathed the question against Neil’s lips, giving him a little squeeze. 

“Yes or no?”

“Hnngh...” Neil struggled to find actual words, dipping down to catch Andrew’s lips again. “Yes...”

His pants dropped to the floor, one less barrier between them. Andrew traced the shape of his dick with his thumb and index finger, sliding up and down over the thin cotton and Neil felt every synapse in his body fire at once. When he was fully hard Andrew slid his hands down Neil’s thighs, then to the crease under his ass. He lifted Neil easily and Neil wrapped his legs around Andrew’s waist to help hold himself up, making a surprised sound as he tried not to pull on Andrew’s hair too hard. Instead he dropped his hands to muscled shoulders and pressed kisses to Andrew’s hairline while he carried him towards to the bedroom. 

The mattress creaked as Neil fell...well, was dropped, less than gracefully onto the plush surface. Andrew crawled over him as he scooted back towards the pillows. His heart hammered in his chest and he didn’t know if it was from excitement or anxiousness. He had never done this with anyone. Ever. Early in his teen years he’d kissed a few people, one girl just before he’d been caught and taken to the nest and later one Raven  boy. He'd been so unsatisfied by the experiences he hadn’t bothered with it again. But he knew he wanted _this_ , though that didn’t stop his mind from attempting to ruin it for him.

He had a moment to collect his thoughts when Andrew backed off to stand at the foot of the bed. He yanked off his own socks, along with Neil’s, and then made quick work of his jeans, the loose hoodie and undershirt he’d been wearing. His arms were free of their black bands today but he did nothing to hide the scars. Hazel eyes dragged up Neil’s body and settled on blue and the heat behind them was a blaze, a forest fire and Neil wanted to run in headfirst. Fuck water; bring on the napalm.

When Andrew crawled back over him, Neil focused on the expanse of pale, flawless skin. There were a few scattered scars, a freckle here, a birthmark there; but all of that made it even more perfect. Made it _Andrew._

Knees settled beside his thighs and Neil reached up to pull Andrew in by the neck. When he felt fingers at the hem of his shirt Neil reached down with his free hand, squeezing around Andrew’s wrist. 

“Not....not my shirt...” he breathed. 

He wasn’t sure what expression his features conveyed at that  moment but Andrew only nodded and moved to his boxer-briefs. After Neil’s own nod of consent, he peeled them down tan thighs and flung them off to the side. Neil’s face heated when Andrew’s eyes lingered on his cock for a moment, leaning down to press a kiss to his exposed hipbone. 

Dropping lower on his forearms, Andrew caged him in place, leaning forward and kissing him breathless until his body hummed with ‘ _ yes _ ’ and ‘ _ don’t stop’ _ . 

“I want to blow you...” muttered Andrew, still kissing, biting at his already swollen lips. 

Neil nodded furiously, lifting his hips a little to arch into Andrew’s warmth. 

Down, down, Neil watched Andrew slip down, keeping their eyes locked the entire time. He pressed another kiss to Neil's hip, pushing his thighs apart a little farther. 

“Can you keep your hands to yourself?” asked Andrew, nipping at the skin above his knee. 

“Yes.”

“Grab the headboard,” said Andrew. 

Neil arched his back and looked behind him, reaching up to grip the metal slats without hesitation. 

Andrew snagged a spare pillow and put it over his hands and arms so he couldn't see them and Neil didn’t question it. 

“You can say no whenever you want,” whispered Andrew. 

Later, thinking back on it all, Neil would realize Andrew’s careful handling was likely due to trying to avoid his own triggers. He would marvel at how far Andrew had come, knowing his past – and probably not even all of it. He wasn’t sure he would be able to overcome something like that, not enough to be able to put so much trust in someone else. 

In the moment, all Neil could think about was the wet heat of Andrew’s mouth. The slide of his tongue and the pressure of strong fingers digging into his thighs, hips and waist. The sounds coming out of his own mouth that would probably embarrass him if he wasn’t so incredibly turned on. 

The noises only got louder, the closer he got to the edge. Andrew seemed to notice and pulled back. But seconds later he pulled himself out of his own briefs. Batting the pillow away, Andrew fell forward, grabbing Neil’s hands and pulling them back to his hair. He ground down once, twice, and then tugged them off together until Neil was a panting, sticky mess beneath him. 

After, Andrew disappeared for nearly twenty minutes, leaving Neil to lay there and contemplate what just happened. He knew he should get up, get dressed, but didn’t seem to have the energy. His whole body felt like jelly. 

Andrew returned wearing clean clothes and tossed one of his shirts towards Neil, his own having been soiled by the  both of them . Neil sat up to swipe the shirt from the bed and Andrew left the room, closing the door behind him with a click, leaving him with privacy. Neil took his time changing, wiping himself off with his own shirt– the new shirt smelled like Andrew’s detergent and he absently inhaled it as it slid over his neck. 

He found Andrew in the kitchen, pouring two glasses of water. They stood awkwardly, cheeks still flushed and hair mirror images of messy bedhead. He must have zoned out because when his eyes blinked back into focus, his water is half gone and Andrew was snapping fingers in his face, scrutinizing him carefully. 

“Oh...sorry,” he said, blushing a little. “Wait! I  actually did come here for a reason. I mean...that was great and all but. Yea. And we can do it again...sometime...if you want...it was really nice...”

“Neil,” Andrew said,  interrupting his babbling. 

“Right...I need a favor.”

Andrew quirked a brow. “A favor?”

He nodded, setting down the water and turning to face Andrew. His confidence seemed to be returning along with the feeling in his legs. “The AEL banquet is next weekend. It’s in Georgia this  year , just a few  hours drive. I was wondering if maybe you’d go. With me.”

Andrew’s other brow joined the first. “You came over to ask me...on a date?”

Andrew stared. Neil shrugged. 

“It doesn’t have to be a date...or whatever,” he said, shifting uncomfortably now that the topic was out in the open. “My publicist says if I get in another  fight they would take me off the lineup for the rest of the semis. We only have two games left before finals and I figured if you were there you could keep me occupied....”

Andrew’s brows entirely disappeared behind his messy bangs. 

“Not like that!” Neil said quickly, waving his hands. “You just ....calm me down. And I can’t exactly take one of the cats, can I?”

“Are you saying I am the human equivalent to your emotional support cats?” Andrew deadpanned. 

“You said it not me,” Neil grinned. 

Drumming his hand on the counter top, Andrew squinted at Neil. “Isn’t Kevin going? Can’t he keep you in line?”

“Kevin makes my blood pressure spike more than a dozen shots of espresso, Andrew.”

Andrew gave an amused huff but said nothing. The clock ticked on the wall behind him. The cats meowed, one of them pushing around the metal water dish. 

“Fine,” said Andrew eventually. 

“...Wait, really?” asked Neil, affecting disbelief. He was sure Andrew would say no. 

But Andrew only shrugged, taking another sip of water. “Annoying Kevin is a favorite past-time. And I cannot be suspended for it.”

“Right. Okay. Great.”

Rolling his eyes, Andrew turned to leave the kitchen and Neil trailed behind him. When he left that  night, it was with a smile plastered on his face and a reminder for Andrew to bring a suit. Maybe this would be one stupid event he could  actually enjoy . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to write and update as I have the time. And thank you for all your comments I love them! One day I'm going to sit down and actually respond to them! <3


	7. We'll Go Down In Hiss-tory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Exy banquet with a side of stupidity.
> 
> ~*~
> 
> All credit to Nora, I own nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all know I'm a slut for angst and gotta put them THROUGH it.
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Chapter Rating: G (Language/Kissing/Kevin getting punched)

Saturday, May 8 th

When Neil arrived at Andrew’s apartment Saturday morning, it had taken approximately thirty-two seconds after opening the door to Neil’s Prius for Andrew to refuse to get in the car. As soon as he’d rolled up, Neil’s “Morning....careful with the passenger window, if you roll it down it doesn’t like to go back up,” had him slamming the passenger side in the other  man's face. Neil climbed out wearing a confused look and Andrew barked at him to grab his bag, they would be taking his car. 

Andrew had used his biological  mother's life insurance to buy a LS after he graduated high school and had driven it for a decade before indulging in the Maserati. He waited until the shelter was established and making its own money, then spent a chunk of his savings he’d been investing over the years to purchase the opulent ride. It was five years old now, but still ran like new. 

They transferred Neil’s small overnight bag, even though they planned on returning after the banquet, and his suit, tucked away in a garment bag before Andrew peeled out of the parking lot. 

“You make two million dollars a year and you drive a Prius with a broken window,” said Andrew, as soon as they pulled onto the highway.

Neil only shrugged, not bothering to ask how Andrew knew his salary. “It’s not like I use that window. And there’s nothing wrong with my car....”

“There is everything wrong with your car.”

Rolling his eyes, Neil settled in the soft leather seat, keeping how comfortable it was to himself. “We don’t all like to waste our money on over-priced cars. Aren’t these things expensive? Why are you doing charities at the shelter if you can afford this?”

“I can afford this because I was smart with my money and invested it,” said Andrew mildly, plugging his phone in to the USB and waiting for it to connect. 

“I’m smart with my money...” said Neil, pouting a little. 

“Buying a Prius isn’t being smart with your money.”

“Can you at least wait until after eight am before insulting me?” chided Neil. 

To his left, Andrew smirked, cranking the volume of some unfamiliar rock song. Neil directed his smile at the door as Andrew took it upon himself to roll  both of the windows down. He leaned to the side, breathing in the warm spring air. 

The drive was just over three hours and passed easily. Neil was comfortable sitting next to Andrew, watching the sun glint off his hair and catching his eyes around the frame of his sunglasses when he glanced to the side. He didn’t even mind the loud music, even though it made his head throb after an hour. When they stopped for a late breakfast, Neil took an aspirin and wrinkled his nose at the chocolate chip pancakes Andrew ordered, wondering how he wasn’t a blimp or at the very least diabetic with all the sugar he consumed. They left full, Neil with a plain black coffee to-go and Andrew pouring half a cup of cream and five sugars into his. 

For the last hour and a half, Andrew turned down the music enough that they could hold a quiet conversation. Neil intentionally steered the talk away from  exy , not that Andrew wanted to engage about it anyways. The topic made Neil more antsy than he cared to admit. While he was in a better headspace than the night Andrew found him at the gym, the thought of his inevitable departure from the sport and constant comparison to Kevin still gnawed at him like a starving, rabid fox. The cats were helping, at least. When he came home after practice or games now his anger almost immediately dissipated. Not only  did having to care for them redirect his focus, but something about petting a cat or watching one chase a laser pointer until they clumsily fell off the bed was cathartic and amusing. He could spend hours watching them and thought he smiled more now, felt lighter than he had in years, in their presence. Andrew had the same sort of calming effect, even if they were bickering or insulting each other. Because Andrew didn’t expect anything from him that he couldn’t give. He didn’t hold Neil on a pedestal or compare him to anyone else. He didn’t see him as a washed-up athlete whose sole talent off the court was antagonizing reporters. 

The topics bounced around from their majors in college to what type of movies they each preferred (Andrew favored psychological thrillers while Neil liked animated films – because he was emotionally a twelve-year-old, as Andrew pointed out). Eventually Andrew opened-up about his rocky relationship with Aaron and Nicky, which he still considered a work-in-progress, and Neil talked a little about his time on the run with his mother. Surprisingly, by the time they arrived at the hotel at noon, Neil felt lighter having talked so candidly about his past when usually it only made him feel drained. 

The banquet wouldn’t begin until five o’clock in the  evening so they still had several hours to kill. After checking into Neil’s hotel room, courtesy of the AEL, Andrew promptly raided the  mini-bar . Neil suggested they try to nap since they hadn’t planned to stay overnight and would likely arrive back home well after midnight, but both were too wired from the long drive and caffeine to sit still. While Neil took his turn in the shower, Andrew steamed their suits, hanging them on the back of the door to remove any wrinkles acquired by the car-ride. 

“It still fits?” asked Neil, watching Andrew adjust his tie in the floor length mirror. 

He’d confided in Neil that the suit was a relic from his own days having to attend such events and that he hadn’t bothered to try it on. It fit like a glove and Neil took the time to stare unabashedly. 

Andrew turned to face him and frowned minutely at the green and white tie Neil wore. It was sloppily tied and clashed a little with his navy suit - which was tailored, but he’d never been very good at matching. Maybe he should have gone for Andrew’s black on black on black look – it was  _ definitely _ working for him. 

“Who taught you to tie a tie?” asked Andrew, stepping up and yanking on it for good measure. 

Neil yelped a little at the jolt and let Andrew re-do his shoddy work. 

“Obviously no one,” he said with a smirk. 

When Andrew finished, he narrowed his eyes and gave the tie another light yank, this time to pull Neil’s lips against his. Neil lifted his arms, going for Andrew’s hair but the shorter man snagged his wrists and held them. 

“Don’t fuck up my hair,” he murmured. 

Neil smiled against his lips, settling his forearms on Andrew’s shoulders when he let go. “Why not? I like your bedhead.”

Andrew bit down on his lip and snaked his own hand up to bury in Neil’s curls. They were piled on top of his head, neatly and lightly gelled, but Andrew ruffled them anyways and Neil let him. When he checked himself in the mirror one last time before they headed out, he decided his hair looked better that way too. 

* * *

The pair met Kevin and Thea in the lobby at five on the nose. Normally assistant coaches didn’t make the invite list but since he was Kevin Day of course he did. The  exy powerhouse couple looked impeccable, as they always did in the public eye – Kevin in a gray suit and blue tie and Thea in a matching blue dress. Her hair was down, laying straight against her shoulder and so shiny Neil could probably check his teeth in it. And yet people still veered away as she passed, knowing she could still body-check them into next-week with no effort at all. Neil had seen many sides of Thea over the years and while this one was what he was used to, he much preferred watching her with Kevin and Amalia, throwing around a ball or chasing each other down with squirt guns during a backyard barbecue. 

He didn’t lock arms or hold hands with Andrew when they entered but they still attracted a fair  amount of stares and whispers. Andrew looked much as he did a decade ago when he was still on the court and in his prime and as such was easily recognizable. They both made a point to ignore any and everyone who paid them any attention, Neil content to stare at Andrew in his perfectly cut suit and Andrew’s eyes bouncing from the bar to the buffet table where  hors d'oeuvres we re being served. 

When Neil first told  Kevin he would be bringing Andrew, he’d seemed annoyed. Now that they were behaving, quietly talking to each other and not engaging in the rest of the nonsense by some of their more rowdy peers, Kevin nodded approvingly as the two of them made their way to their assigned table with the Chimeras head coach and his wife, along with two of the teams other players. 

The ballroom was massive, dimly lit with crystal chandeliers dangling above. More than nine-hundred athletes, coaches, press and executives were in attendance and the sound rose to a quiet roar as they filtered in a few at a time. At five thirty dinner was  announced and people made their way to their tables. 

The food was expensive; their company was dull. When Kevin’s  exy talk got too enthusiastic Andrew liked to bring up every bad play Kevin had ever made in the last decade – which for some reason he seemed to remember with perfect clarity. Neil was beginning to think Andrew paid closer attention to the sport than he initially let on. By the time dessert arrived, Kevin was red-faced and scowling, Neil had a shit-eating grin that he didn’t bother wiping from his own lips and Thea seemed more interested in her wine and a night away from mom-life than defending her husband. While the ex-striker went into yet another tirade, Neil busied himself. He plucked the fruit from Andrew’s cake while Andrew dug his fork into the icing Neil scraped  off his own and shoveled it into his mouth. 

At six thirty, the plates were cleared away, more wine made the rounds and several people climbed up to the low stage at the head of the room. Neil had never much cared for the frivolity that surrounded  exy , having only ever wanted to play. He historically, paid very little attention to the talking heads – many times to his detriment. And now he paid even less mind to the chairman of the AEL’s monotoned speech since Andrew’s hand found its way to his thigh, his thumb tracing maddening circles over the expensive fabric of his suit. His other hand cradled his jaw, staring ahead blankly with his elbow on the table as if he wasn’t sending shivers down Neil’s spine. Neil’s eyes were trained on the exit, wondering if it would be possible to sneak away with Andrew when he heard the name of his team over the microphone. A few seconds later his name was called, followed by Kevin’s and he finally turned towards the stage. The chairman was announcing his and Kevin’s induction to the  Exy Hall of Fame – an institution that had only gotten approval two years prior. They were to be the first inductees since the new building had been constructed, along with posthumous acknowledgement to Kayleigh Day and Tetsuji Moriyama. They were being called to the stage. Neil wheeled back around. His coach looked smug, he must have known, but Kevin and Thea both looked as shocked as he felt. Thea kissed her husband as he stood, straightening his suit and giving his brightest press smile to the crowd – though it looked genuine for once. She slapped his ass as he started towards the stage and the players around them laughed, momentarily drowning out the applause. Neil was still rooted to the spot. Finally, Andrew pinched his leg and he jumped. 

“Go,” prodded Andrew, his expression perfectly blank. “If you’re  waiting on a literal ass pat you’ll be here all night.”

The words forced a chuckle out of Neil and he finally stood, straightening his own tie as he joined Kevin, who waited about halfway down the center aisle for him to join. 

Kevin pulled him closer as they blinked against camera flashes and plaques were thrust into their arms. Neil smiled awkwardly and was eternally grateful for Kevin’s practiced media persona. Since he did all the talking, Neil only had to nod and offer a quick thank you. The official induction ceremony wouldn’t happen for another two months, once the current season was finished and the structure in West Virginia was complete. He hated the idea of having to go anywhere near Evermore  again - six years prior the National  teams stadium had moved to DC and Neil hadn’t returned to the state since West Virginia didn’t have a pro-team. But he supposed he could deal with it for a day. 

He returned to the table with a lopsided grin and sat through a few more presentations until he felt Andrew’s palm on his knee, stalling it from bouncing. 

“Break?” asked the blond. 

Neil nodded and they excused themselves. The announcements were dying down anyways and as they made it to the exit, someone announced they would clear the ballroom for half an hour while it was arranged for the rest of the evening that would consist of mingling and dancing. 

They were gone well over an hour. Andrew talked Neil into a few celebratory shots in the hotel room which was followed by making out furiously on the king-sized bed. They hadn’t planned to stay but both had packed overnight bags so maybe that wouldn’t be so bad....

At nine fifteen Neil’s  phone clattered to the floor. It had buzzed so much in the last hour that it skittered closer and closer to the edge until it finally made the leap for freedom. Andrew rolled off him, Neil groaned, pressing the heel of his palms to his eyes and willing his body to calm down. When he was comfortable enough to sit, he reached down and swiped the phone. Kevin, of course.  Twenty-six times, wondering where they were. 

After shirts and pants were smoothed, ties were retied and hair was halfheartedly restyled, they grabbed their jackets and headed back downstairs. Andrew snagged his phone, keys and wallet, along with another airplane bottle of whisky which he upended into his mouth in the elevator and tossed in a trashcan before they entered the ballroom. Kevin was on them immediately, as if picking up their location by sonar. 

Neil allowed himself to be guided this way and that – to reporters, players and coaches offering congratulations – mostly for show or as an excuse to interrogate them. Though he didn’t ask, Andrew remained dutifully at his back and whenever he noticed Neil getting heated. When he was on the verge of becoming argumentative, Andrew brushed their shoulders together and the reminder of his presence was enough to make Neil excuse himself. 

He continued smiling, shaking hands, enduring small talk with old teammates until Neil tugged Andrew towards the bar with his sleeve, citing a need for water. Neil was on his second bottle and Andrew was nursing a few shots of bourbon when Kevin appeared again, leaning against the bar. His face was red and his perfectly placed strands of black hair fell across his forehead, escaping whatever styling products initially held them in place. He looked more relaxed now, having obviously indulged in one too many drinks – something he rarely did anymore. 

The coach tipped his head back to survey the  both of them , pressed together and quietly talking as they tried to ignore him. “It’s a shame you had to drag Andrew here. If I would have known this would happen, I would have told you not to bother bringing him. Who needs that story when they have the Hall of Fame media circus.”

Neil affected confusion and tilted his head towards Kevin. 

Andrew on the other hand leaned back on his stool, balancing himself on two of the feet with hands on the bar, looking suddenly more serious. “What story?”

“You know...you two,” said Kevin, now more animated since they were paying attention to him, waving around the glass in his hand. “Neil said it would be a good way to get them off his back about retiring and constantly comparing our stats if they thought the two of you were dating.”

Andrew’s stool dropped back  down and he  swiveled to the side, knees knocking into Neil, though all his attention was still on the taller man. Neil swallowed heavily over the lump forming in his throat. 

“ Personally, I did not think you would go for it,” continued Kevin. “The story seemed too far-fetched. Guess it worked though....”

Someone called Kevin’s name and he left without another word, leaving Andrew to bore holes in the back of Neil’s head until he turned to face the music. 

“Is that why I am here?” asked Andrew, slowly, evenly. “ So the media has a better story than you trying to play past your prime?”

“No! Of course not!” said Neil quickly, holding his hands out to try and stop Andrew from getting up. “I mean...yes. That  _ is _ what I told Kevin because he gave me shit for inviting you. But I didn’t mean....”

Andrew stood fully and Neil was forced a couple steps back. 

“Have you ever  _ meant _ anything a day in your life, Josten?” Andrew asked, the even lilt veering towards anger. 

“Andrew...” he tried.

Shoving his hands in his pockets roughly, Andrew’s fist emerged clutched around his car keys. He stepped into Neil’s space. “You may have only ever known how to play games, but there was a reason I quit. Do not contact me again.”

Neil’s pulse drummed in his ears and he froze for a moment, dissociating. How was this happening. Things were finally...they finally...

When he finally blinked back the panic, he turned to see Andrew striding through the exit and went after him. 

It was a struggle to get through the throng of people and by the time he made it to the busy lobby Andrew was already out of sight. Neil’s feet carried him outside, through the revolving door to the sidewalk. He stepped out from under the green canopy and looked right, left. Andrew was gone. He’d let Neil go inside before they’d parked so he had no idea where to even look for the car. He tried Andrew’s cell but it went straight to voicemail.

Stricken, Neil stood in the rain until he was soaked to the bone. A fitting cliché. A hotel  attendant walked over with an umbrella, asking him if he needed help and he turned to go inside, a full body shiver making him shake so badly his teeth hurt. By the time he reached the ballroom he was numb. He couldn’t feel the heat of the hundreds of bodies. Couldn’t smell the sweat and booze and remnants of food. He  couldn't make out faces or the brightness of colors. He stood at the threshold until someone bumped into him as they  passed and it brought him back to the present. And in that unfortunate moment, he locked eyes with Kevin. Stupid, smiling Kevin who had no idea what he’d done. His smile dropped when he caught Neil’s gaze and the  second he was within  arms reach , Neil took a swing. He decked Kevin in the jaw, hard enough to send him and the drink he was holding, sprawling, ruining his suit. The liquid coated the fabric. Glass  shattered, heads turned. He vaguely registered Theas ‘ _ The fuck, Josten?! _ ’

Several people put themselves between the two, but Neil just turned and walked away. The room had gone silent and as he left. He could hear the familiar tinkling of someone trying to clean up the glass and remembered what it was like to break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's only one more chapter and an epilogue. Hoping to finish this by this weekend so I can return to my many, many other WIP's.


	8. Consider the Pawsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil makes a decision about his future. 
> 
> ~*~
> 
> All credit to Nora, I own nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idiots get slightly less idiotic. 
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Chapter Rating: G (Language/Kissing)

Sunday, June 6 th

The Chimeras didn’t make it through the semi-finals, coming in fifth place. It wasn’t a bad  season, they had just been outplayed. 

Luckily Neil wasn’t benched the rest of the season and wasn’t suspended after the fiasco at the AEL banquet the month prior. He and Kevin had it out in the hotel room the next morning. There was a lot of shouting and one incident with a vase being hurled at Kevin but other than that, they managed to work things out. Neil knew Kevin hadn’t meant to reveal that little fact in a way that would make Andrew think Neil had betrayed him. And he knew it was his own fault for saying the words to Kevin in the first place when he didn’t mean them. After blurting  _ ‘I really care about him, Kevin!’ _ the fighting dissolved to awkward silence and Kevin offered to talk to Andrew for him. Neil declined. This was his mess and he needed to fix it. 

The more time that rolled past the more discouraged Neil became. His texts and calls went unanswered. Whenever he showed up to the shelter unannounced Andrew was always ‘unavailable’ or ‘not here’. After his  fourth visit Nicky sternly told him not to come back, wearing a serious expression Neil had never seen on the man even if his words were shaky. Irritation boiled and he’d shouted at Nicky as he left, telling him if Andrew wanted his shit  back he would have to talk to him sooner or later. 

He probably didn’t care about his stuff. Neil snooped through the bag eventually and discovered it was just clothes, toiletries and a couple of knives. Nothing that couldn’t be replaced. Neil had worn one of the t-shirts he found inside on his last visit to the rescue, hoping to at least taunt Andrew into talking to him, but he hadn’t so much laid eyes on the blond in weeks. 

Twice he showed up at Andrew’s apartment and after banging for several minutes the neighbors across the hall threatened to call the police if he didn’t leave. By week three he was on the verge of giving up. 

He really hadn’t meant what he said to Kevin. He only said them to shut the man up. If he could just talk to Andrew....explain himself. Tell Andrew that he wanted him there and missed him now. Missed his  presence , missed talking to him and  hearing the sound of his voice. On top of whatever it was they started, Neil thought Andrew might be his only real friend. 

He had Kevin and Thea and got along with a few of his teammates, but they never put him at ease like Andrew. He never felt he could  open up around them or just be himself. He missed Andrew so bad it was a physical pain, tightening in his chest whenever the thought of not seeing him again bubbled to the surface. Sometimes the cats weren’t even enough to distract him from this new sense of panic. 

Summer training was due to start in less than a week. Neil had signed his contract with shaky fingers and couldn’t help but feel a tinge of worry that he was making the wrong decision. For all of Andrew’s insults and the media riding him, his heart wasn’t in it anymore. He still loved the game, but everything else around it was too much, too political, too fake. But he signed because he didn’t know what he would possibly do without it. 

It wasn’t the money. Out of curiosity he checked his bank account after signing and realized he had over 44 million spread over several accounts that had accrued interest over the years from his salary, endorsements and prize money from Olympic wins. Neil had always been frugal – a side effect from his time on the run and then having not been allowed to have anything of his own while he was at Edgar Allen. He never spent more than the average person a year and always chose cheap options when it came to apartments, his car and his belongings. When he went pro, he let Kevin’s accountant set things up for him and hadn’t bothered to pay much attention. But all the money in the world wouldn’t give him a sense of purpose. 

On Sunday, six days before training would start the following weekend, Neil drove to the little bakery a few miles from the shelter. Andrew’s bakery. He ordered an obscene amount of pastries on impulse, having no idea what he would do with them all. He didn’t even like sweet things and had no one to share them with. Still, he ordered an assortment and leaned against the glass display to wait. 

Next to the counter, on the salmon colored walls was a plastic shelving unit. It was clear and had little slots filled with colorful brochures and flyers. He had never noticed it before, but the flyer on the bottom left was lime green and familiar and caught his eye. He took a few steps towards the wall and plucked one from its resting place, flipping through the  tri-fold . The flyer was new – a revision date on it was just two weeks earlier. It advertised Whisker Me Away and the veterinary clinic. It was tastefully designed, if a little gaudy in its coloring, but what stood out was the ad on the back. ‘ _ Help needed – Shelter attendant’ _ . 

Neil chewed his lip, turning over the conversation he had with Andrew back at the gym. 

_ “I don’t know how to do...how to  _ be __ _ anything else.” _

_ “Then learn.” _

He knew he didn’t want to coach like Kevin, who was up for a permanent coaching position the next year when their current coach retired. He didn’t have the  temperament for it himself. At the very least he came to realize that  exy wasn’t everything. He missed Andrew more than he’d ever missed  exy during the off season or when he’d been recovering from an injury and unable to play. The court didn’t consume his thoughts anymore like the short blond with the bad attitude. Since adopting the cats, he looked forward to going home and possibly seeing Andrew more than he did showing up to practice. 

Neil startled when they called his name and he collected the tray of confections and his plain coffee. He managed to wrestle it all into the passenger seat without spilling anything and climbed in. Sitting in the driver seat, hands  white-knuckling the wheel, he tried to consider  _ possibility _ . Could he really do it? Could he give up  exy ? A few months  ago he never presumed the thought would even cross his mind. But then again, a few months ago he never thought he  was capable of caring about anything else. He started the car. 

* * *

Nicky must have seen him coming because he tried to cut Neil off at the door. Neil ignored him, swept inside with the box full of pastries and almost ran smack into Andrew, who was coming out of the larger enclosure. The blond was making a  futile effort of trying to brush cat hair from his all black ensemble and stopped cold when he noticed the intruder. 

“No,” said Andrew, turning on his heel and heading towards the counter. 

Following cautiously, Neil slid the box onto the laminate and tried to muster up the courage to say the words he’d been repeating in his head on the drive over. 

“I’m not here to bother you,” said Neil. “I’m here about this...”

Pulling the flyer from his back pocket, Neil unfolded the paper and pushed it across the surface towards Andrew. Nicky moved to stand beside him as Andrew snatched up the  pamphlet . 

“Uh...what’s going on?” he asked, looking between the two shorter men. 

“Is this a joke?” Andrew asked, almost at the same time. 

Neil shook his head. “I’m here about the job.”

When Andrew dropped the paper abruptly, Nicky picked it up, looking at the ad that had been circled on the back. “You want to work here?”

“Did the court break up with you or something?” sneered Andrew. 

Refusing to take the bait, Neil shrugged. “Can I have an application? I’ll leave after I fill it out.”

For close to two minutes Andrew stared at him, Nicky’s dark eyes still darting between them, waiting for something to happen but afraid to push. Finally, Andrew reached under the counter without breaking eye contact. When his hand pulled free, he had an application cinched between his fingers and he tossed it across the counter at Neil. Neil snagged the paper before it fell to the ground. Andrew spun in place and marched back to his office but paused and came back long enough to snag a donut. When he slammed his door, it was loud enough to make Nicky flinch but Neil smirked a little, feeling as though he’d won some sort of small victory. 

“Jesus....what happened between you two?” asked Nicky, grabbing a pen from the cat shaped holder and handing it over. 

Neil clicked the end and hunched over the paper so he wouldn’t have to meet Nicky’s prying stare. “What...?”

“What do you mean ‘what’?” Nicky asked, clicking his tongue. “Andrew’s been a colossal asshole,  _ way more than usual _ , for a whole month. And he told us not to let you on the premises.”

“.....He didn’t tell you?” asked Neil, quietly and against his better judgement. 

“He just told us not to let you in. He didn’t say why,” breathed Nicky. “Were you fucking, or something?”

Keeping his eyes studiously on the application, he gave the smallest shrug he could manage. “I think that’s a story for Andrew to tell.”

He couldn’t see him but was almost certain Nicky’s eye roll had been a full-body gesture. “Fine. Be stingy. God you and Andrew  _ would _ deserve each other, you’re both such pricks.”

The topic fizzled out when Nicky moved to inspect the bakery offerings and shoved half an éclair in his mouth. The next time he spoke it was to complain about all the sit-up's he would  have to do to work off the treat. 

Neil flipped over the application and filled out the rest while Nicky swallowed quickly in order to pick up the phone. While he was distracted, Neil wrote a message in minute writing at the bottom of the application, hoping Andrew would read it without throwing the whole thing in the garbage immediately. When he was finished, he flipped it back over and handed it to Nicky. 

“Give this to Andrew, would you?”

Nicky watched him leave and turned towards the office, giving the application a once over. He stopped in his tracks as his eyes scanned the words scrawled across the bottom. “Oh...”

* * *

The shelter was  quiet and Andrew should have left more than an hour ago. It was after six o’clock and he still sat rooted at his desk, staring at the paper in front of him. To his right, a half-eaten box of confections taunted him. He was sure he had well surpassed his bodies acceptable sugar intake for the day. His stomach hurt. Or maybe it was his gut. He honestly couldn’t tell if it was from the six donuts he’d  eaten or the leftover taste of Neil’s visit, still sour in his mouth. 

Three quick knocks sounded on the door frame and Aaron entered without invitation. He pushed his glasses a little higher on his nose and Andrew blinked unconsciously, his contacts suddenly making his eyes feel dryer than they had moments before. 

“Nicky said Josten stopped by today,” said Aaron casually, sitting down in the folding chair in front of the desk. 

He normally didn’t keep a chair there for the sole purpose to keep people out of his office as much as possible, but he’d been interviewing potential hires that week and hadn’t taken it out yet. 

“Nicky has a big mouth,” Andrew replied, dropping a clipboard on top of the application to hide Neil’s name from view. 

Aaron snorted. “Understatement.”

As Andrew pretended to check things off on the document, Aaron leaned over to inspect the donuts. Well, the few that were left. 

“Why is he applying for a job here? Did he quit playing exy?”

“That sounds like a question for Neil...” sighed Andrew, trying to sound as disinterested as possible. 

Aaron, unfortunately, didn’t seem to be fooled. 

“Andrew.” 

“ _ Aaron. _ ”

“Why don’t you just talk to him?”

“Because I do not  _ want  _ to talk to him.”

The other man sighed again, long used to his  brother's stubbornness. “You  obviously do. You’ve been even more of a dick than usual since you got back from that banquet. I know something happened between you.”

“You don’t  _ know _ anything,” Andrew countered, finally looking up. 

Aaron glared momentarily, shaking his head. “Whatever. Just stop being an idiot. If you’re trying this hard to get rid of him and he keeps coming back then maybe it’s worth a second look.”

It was Andrew’s turn to glare, turning a letter opener over his knuckles, and Aaron seemed to take it as a sign that he’d overstayed his visit. 

Good. Because right now shoving the letter opener through Aaron’s tongue seemed like the start to an interesting evening. At the very least it would shut him up. 

God he missed his knives sometimes. 

At length, Aaron stood, snatched a donut before he could truly incur Andrew’s wrath, and left without another word. 

Andrew hated Aaron sometimes. For all the progress they’d made there were still moments he couldn’t stand his twin. Especially when he was right. Neil had been relentless in trying to work his way back into Andrew’s life and Andrew had been a complete prick to him. The truth was, the more time passed, the more Neil called or texted, the more Andrew believed him. That he  _ had _ just said those things to Kevin to shut him up and that what happened between them was real. The truth was, Andrew had never let anyone get that close and the second he thought he’d been betrayed by someone he cared about, it had thrown him completely off balance. Because even if it wasn’t real, it could have been. He let Neil worm his way into his thoughts, could feel his touch even after  he was gone. Maybe he’d been looking for a way out before he knew there  _ was  _ no way out. 

A few days after getting home from Georgia Andrew had caved and dialed Bee. He didn’t see her as a therapist anymore, but they remained friends and still kept in touch. After a long conversation she asked him if he’d ever heard the quote  _ ‘we accept the love we think we deserve’ _ . __

_ “Bee did you just quote ‘perks of being a wallflower’ at me.”  _

_ “Well if the shoe fits....”  _

_ Andrew sighed. “I don’t love him. I don’t want him to love me.” _

_ “Maybe. But what you described to me is something deeper than you’ve ever attempted before and I think you’re letting your fear of getting hurt or taken advantage get in the way of a risk you should be taking.”  _

_ “You once told me risk taking behaviors weren’t healthy,” he’d countered. _

_ “Well, I'm not officially your therapist anymore so I can say whatever I  _ _ want, _ _ can’t I?” _

_ He could hear her smiling.  _

She was right, of course. She was nearly always right. And so was Aaron. And he hated it. He hated feeling vulnerable and breakable and he hated Neil. He hated Neil because he  _ wanted _ Neil and nothing good had ever come from wanting things – wanting people, most of all. 

Andrew propped his elbows on the desk and dropped his head in his hands, tugging on his messy locks. His elbow knocked the clipboard to the side and when he looked up again his eyes caught the black, untidy scrawl at the bottom of the application. He dropped a hand down to trace calloused fingers over the dried ink, reading the words over and over until his thoughts were only Neil. 

_ ‘You weren’t a game to me. I miss you.’ _

* * *

Saturday, June 12th

Even though he’d turned in the application on a whim, Neil decided on the drive to the shelter that he meant it. Andrew was right. He could learn to do something else. He loved playing  exy , but the stress in the past few years had been, at times, more than he could handle. Especially alone. The cats had helped tremendously since he adopted them. They seemed to learn his moods and when he would come home after a particularly stressful game they would curl up in his lap and just let him run his hands over their fur. It was soothing, calming, and he could focus on the feel of it instead of the turmoil in his mind. He also realized that part of him had resisted retiring, not just because he didn’t know what else to do, but because everyone was telling him too and it just reinforced his stubbornness. 

And so, after he left the shelter, he drove straight to Kevin’s house. 

_ “I’m done. I’m not coming back next season.” _

_ “Neil...what....you already signed a contract!” he sputtered. _

_ “I still have five days left to break it, so I’m breaking it. I already called a meeting with coach Richter for Wednesday.” _

_ Kevin still looked like he’d just seen bigfoot. “But.... _ _ why _ _?” _

_ Neil shrugged. “It’s time.”  _

He left Kevin a confused mess and went home. The following Wednesday he rescinded his contract offer and officially retired, three days before summer training for the next season was due to begin. And on the day their summer training started, the team held a press conference like they always did to announce the players; Neil announced his retirement. He made it through the speech he’d been giving with minimal anxiety, but his stomach flopped when he saw a familiar face at the back of the room. Andrew was sitting there, sunglasses on, looking bored with his arms crossed. 

“Um...thank you,” he said, leaning away from the mic. 

Neil stood, skirting behind the row of athletes and coaches to exit the small stage. They weren’t technically finished – usually the media was given time to ask questions at the end. And even though he could feel Kevin glaring at his back like a penetrating, spiteful ray of sunshine, no one tried to stop him. Instead his coaches re-directed the attention to the other players. He slipped quietly through the side door and saw Andrew at the end of the hallway, waiting. He followed him down a corridor until they were out of the line of sight. 

“You’re here," said Neil, his jaw still slack with mild shock.

“I am,” Andrew replied, hooking a finger around his sunglasses so he could tuck them away in the collar of his shirt. 

Neil bounced a little on the balls of his feet, trying to remain calm. Inside he was screaming. “Any particular reason?”

Andrew’s face was set to its usual stony apathy and he held Neil’s gaze as he reached around and dug in his back pocket, pulling out a folded sheet of paper. He handed it to Neil and looked off to the side. “I can’t hire you if you haven’t signed the application.”

Neil’s eyes snapped up from the form, fingers shaking. “You’re going to hire me?”

“None of the other applicants have experience assembling cat accessories,” Andrew said with a shrug, inspecting his nails  in an effort to be nonchalant. “It’s one of the primary functions of the position.”

Neil grinned. Andrew was so full of shit and he didn’t care in the least. 

“Well...since you taught me yourself, I guess you know the quality would be up to your standards,” he said, playing along. 

Andrew took a step closer and their eyes met again. “I guess we will see.”

“I guess we will.”

He tried to hold back. Really. But his restraint only lasted another few seconds and then Neil swooped down to crush his mouth against Andrews. 

The blond got one hand around his waist and the other clamped around the back of his neck, pulling him closer. When they were flush, Neil reached up to tentatively put his  hands on Andrew’s biceps, feeling the muscle flex underneath. Andrew stiffened for a  moment but he didn’t say no, and he didn’t stop kissing Neil. Instead he leaned up further when Neil opened his mouth to him. 

Minutes later, or maybe hours, the roar of voices invaded their bubble of seclusion. The press conference must have finished and the doors to the hall had been opened. They wouldn’t be alone much longer. Andrew pulled back first, leaning in one more time to press a kiss to the side of Neil’s mouth. He was still grinning, unable to wipe the expression from his features. 

“Was that the interview then?” he asked stupidly, and slightly breathless. 

Andrew rolled his eyes but gave one last squeeze to his neck before letting go. “You’re hired.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hnnnngh this is it! The final chapter. I will post the epilogue tomorrow.


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six months after Neil’s retirement, one year after he walked into Whisker Me Away for the first time.
> 
> ~*~
> 
> All credit to Nora, I own nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it fam! Hope you enjoyed reading my random Andreil dream.
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Chapter Rating: I - for idiots in love.

November 4 th

Neil Josten carried the last box up the creaky, wooden stairs and watched as three cats jumped on top of it – two were his, one was Andrew’s. Well, technically they were ‘theirs’ now, he supposed. The felines were all very interested in inspecting each new box, offering their own stamp of approval in the form of rubbing themselves over the side and gnawing at the corners. 

Two months prior, since the lease was running out on his apartment, Neil had purchased a house in a quiet suburb of Columbia. The two-story home sat at the end of a dead end with no other structures beside it. Since he planned to stay in South Carolina, he figured he might as well find something more permanent. And with three cats, a little more space was needed anyways. So, he bought a spacious three bedroom with a large garage and attached workshop. Andrew had already put the workshop to use and filled it with woodworking tools he used create elaborate cat accessories for the shelter and their home. The location was only a  ten-minute drive to the rescue, which worked out well when Andrew decided to move in, just a week ago. He’d basically been living there since Neil moved in, spending more time at the house than his own place. When his own lease ended, they decided moving in together would be easier. 

Three weeks prior Andrew brought the cats over. They wanted to try and get them acclimated to the new surroundings and to Neil’s own animals before they were too traumatized with the hustle and bustle of the actual move. Luckily Andrews cats were older and lazy and didn’t really care about the other animals. Neil's were curious and liked to try and goad Sir and King into playing, but other than that they mostly existed separately. 

One room had been turned into a guest room – not that Neil knew when he would have any guests. Another had been turned into a small office, but mostly belonged to the cats. The walls were lined with complex trails and climbers and it had a bay window with a bench that overlooked the backyard. The cats could often be found lounging there, soaking up the beams of light in a ridiculous pile since they gave up fighting for space. 

The third bedroom had a massive en suite with a tub and separate shower, both of which they’d put to good use, and a massive queen size bed plopped down in the middle of the room. It was too big, really, but after six months with Andrew, he knew that the man still liked his space. 

They still had to fight for ground sometimes, take a step back  every once in a while , but it was usually followed by two steps forward and Neil hadn’t regretted a second of it. He was even beginning to feel comfortable in his role at the shelter and enjoyed going to work with Andrew in the mornings. He still argued when Andrew tried to pay him, eventually allowing them to give him a meager salary and enlisting Kevin to help him get involved with other charities so he didn’t feel like he was a dragon sitting on a surplus of unspent cash. Eventually, Andrew agreed to let him talk with the owners of the law offices next to the rescue and he was currently in the process of buying them out to expand the shelter.

Pushing the box against the wall with his toe, he noticed the words ‘whiskers’ were scrawled across the side and picked it up again, moving it to the office. Andrew came in a few moments later and Neil followed him to the kitchen, helping in sort through the plastic bags. They had just come back from dinner with Katelyn and Aaron for Aaron and Andrew’s birthday. Initially Andrew declined the invitation to the new ‘organic farm to table’ restaurant Nicky had recommended, claiming it was probably filled with ‘pretentious vegans’. But Neil wanted to go and pouted about it, so Andrew caved. Something he’d been doing a lot of lately – letting Neil talk him into things. Not for free of course – Neil had to promise to buy him ice cream from his favorite shop on the way home, which meant now they were trying to make room in the already full freezer for three more pints of unreasonably sweet frozen confections. 

After putting away his spoils, Andrew went to shower and Neil started to go through his nightly routine with the cats – playtime, food, cleaning the litter boxes. He showered afterwards and when he came out, steam following, Andrew was  lying in bed with a book, glasses perched on his nose. Neil loved seeing him like this – relaxed and guard lowered. _ Love. _ They weren’t quite at that word yet. Maybe they never would be. But Neil couldn’t deny what he felt and continued to feel everyday. His heart gave a little stutter as he climbed into bed. He laid on his side and watched Andrew. After a few minutes the blond reached over without taking his eyes, or other hand away from his book, and pressed two fingers to Neil’s cheek – just over the faint scarring where his tattoo used to be. 

He pushed his head away lightly. “Don’t look at me like that.”

Neil smiled, hiding it for a moment in the pillow before looking back up to keep staring. 

Finally, Andrew sighed. He slowly and carefully placed a bookmark between the pages and sat up a little more to put the book on the nightstand. 

Andrew looked down, hazel eyes narrowing. “What?”

Still smiling, Neil shrugged, eyes dragging up Andrew’s  bare arms from his wrist to shoulder until they found his eyes. “Nothing.”

Blond brows lifted in something akin to amusement and Neil chewed his lip. 

“I just ....never thought I’d have this,” he said finally. 

“A staring problem?” asked Andrew, definitely amused. 

“A home,” Neil said seriously. 

He didn’t miss the way Andrew’s eyes widened a fraction before his lids lowered again, heavy and affectionate. Well, as affectionate looking as Andrew ever got. 

Neil came to realize there was the Andrew everyone else got to see, and his Andrew, and they were very different. Sometimes he felt completely unworthy to know Andrew as he did and would never take it for granted. 

“Thank you, Andrew,” he said, feeling the need to say it at least once. “For everything.”

Andrew glared at him but slouched down almost immediately. He kissed Neil, reaching up to take off his glasses mid-kiss and tossed them towards the table. He often kissed Neil to shut him up and Neil didn’t mid one bit. 

“You are an idiot,” murmured Andrew, still hovering over him with their lips touching. 

“Nah....an idiot would have said you ‘ _ whiskered me away’ _ ,” he said with a laugh. 

Emitting a noise very close to a growl, Andrew bit a mark into his neck and Neil felt he would probably pay for his stupid pun but couldn’t find it in himself to care with Andrew’s teeth scraping along his jugular. 

“Take off your shirt...” Andrew whispered against him, sucking another bruise into his skin. 

His laughs turned into groans. 

“Yea?” asked Neil, breathless and scrambling to sit up and yank his shirt off. 

He was long past being self-conscious in front of Andrew. 

“Yea....” Andrew replied. “I’m going to strangle you with it.”

Neil laughed again and tossed it to the side. At least he would die happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohp, character said the title of the story, drink!
> 
> Thank you SO so much for all the comments! I will get around to replying to them when I can but I'm just trying to mark off this WIP so I can return to others. Be safe and thank you again!

**Author's Note:**

> So I actually DREAMED this plot up and haven't been able to think about ANYTHING ELSE SINCE. The outline ended up being way longer than I planned but hopefully I can get through it quickly. 
> 
> I'm gonna try my very best for all the chapter titles to be cat puns. XD


End file.
